英語周報：2008年12月四級聽力模擬試題(十四)

　　Questions 23 to 25 are based on the conversation you have just heard.

　　23. How long has the man suffered from the symptoms he described?

　　24. Why didn’t he go to see the doctor immediately?

　　25. What happened during the past four months?

　　Section B

　　Directions: In this section, you will hear 3 short passages. At the end of each passage, you will

　　hear some 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 2 with a single line through the center.

　　Passage One

　　Decade for Natural Disaster Reduction is a program designed to reduce the impact of natural disasters throughout the world. With support from the United Nations, countries will be encouraged to share information about disaster reduction: for instance, information about how to plan for and cope with hurricanes, earthquakes and other natural disasters. One of the most important things the program plans to do is to remind us of what we can do to protect ourselves. For example, we can pack a suitcase with flashlights, a radio, food, drinking water and some tools. This safety kit may help us survive a disaster until help arrives. Besides, the program will encourage governments to establish building standards, emergency response plans and training programs. These measures can help to limit the destruction by natural disasters. The comparatively mild effects of the northern California earthquake in 1989 are good evidence that we do have the technology to prevent vast destruction. The recent disasters, on the other hand, prove that people will suffer if we don’t use that technology. When a highway collapsed in northern California, people were killed in their cars. The highway was not built according to today’s strict standards to resist earthquakes. Individuals and governments have to be far-sighted. We should take extra time and spend extra money to build disaster safety into our lives. Although such a program can’t hold back the winds or stop earthquakes, they can save people’s lives and homes.

　　Questions 26 to 28 are based on the passage you have just heard.

　　26. What is the purpose of the program mentioned in this passage?

　　27. What can we learn from the northern California earthquake in 1989?

　　28. Why did the highway in northern California collapse?

　　Passage Two

　　As a result of pollution, Lake Erie, on the border of the U. S. A. and Canada, is now without any living things.

　　Pollution in water is not simply a matter of “poisons” killing large numbers of fish overnight. Very often the effects of pollution are not noticed for many months or years. The first organisms to be affected are plants or plankton---the food of fish, birds, and other creatures. When their source of food disappears, the fish and birds die too. In this way, a whole food chain can be wiped out, and it is not until dead fish and water birds are seen at the river’s edge or on the seashore that people realize what is happening.

　　Where do the substances that pollute the water come from? There are two main sources, sewage and industrial waste. As more detergents are used in the home, so more of it is eventually put into our rivers, lakes and seas. Detergents harm water birds by dissolving the natural substances that keep their feathers waterproof. Sewage itself, if it is not properly treated, makes the water dirty and prevents all forms of life in rivers and the sea from receiving the oxygen they need. Industrial waste is even more harmful since there are many highly poisonous substances in it, such as copper and lead.

　　So, if we want to stop this pollution, the answer is simple: sewage and industrial waste must be made clean before flowing into the water. It may already be too late to save some rivers and lakes, but others can still be saved if the correct action is taken at once.

　　Questions 29 to 31 are based on the passage you have just heard.

　　29. What are the main sources of water pollution?

　　30. Which of the following is harmful according to the passage?

　　31. What correct action should be taken to stop water pollution?

　　Passage Three

　　I don’t often lose things and I’m especially careful with money, so I was quite surprised when I reached for my wallet and it wasn’t there. At first, I thought it was possible that I could have left it at home. Then I remembered taking it out to pay for the taxi, so I knew I had it with me just before I walked into the restaurant. I wondered if it was possible that it could have slipped out of my pocket while I was eating dinner. Thinking about that possibility, I turned and walked back to the table where I had been sitting. Unfortunately, there were several people sitting at the table at the time, so I called a waiter and explained to him that my wallet had fallen out of my pocket while I was sitting at the table a few minutes earlier. I had the waiter go over to the table to see if my wallet was on the floor.

　　While the waiter was looking for it, the manager of the restaurant came up to me and asked me if anything was wrong. I didn’t want to get a lot of people involved in the problem, but I knew I had to get the wallet back. I told the manager what had happened. He had me describe the wallet to him, and then he insisted that I report the missing wallet to the police. I told him that I didn’t particularly want to get the police involved in it; besides, I was in a hurry because I had an appointment with my doctor in just a few minutes. I explained to him that my biggest worry at the moment was how I was going to pay the check. He told me not to worry about that. He had me write down my name and address and he said he would send me a bill.