2014年英语四级考试模拟试题及答案(第一套)_第8页

　　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 1 with a single line throughthe centre.

　　Passage One

　　I first met Joe Gans when we were both nine years old, which is probably the

　　only reason he’s one of my best friends. If I had first met Joe as a freshman in high

　　school, we wouldn’t even have had the chance to get to know each other. Joe is a day

　　student, but I am a boarding student. We haven’t been in the same classes, sports, or

　　extracurricular activities.

　　Nonetheless, I spend nearly every weekend at his house and we talk on the phone

　　every night. This is not to say that we would not have been compatible if we had first

　　met in our freshman year. Rather, we would not have been likely to spend enough

　　time getting to know each other due to the lack of immediately visible mutual

　　interests. In fact, to be honest, I struggle even now to think of things we have in

　　common. But maybe that’s what makes us enjoy each other’s company so much.

　　When I look at my friendship with Joe, I wonder how many people I’ve known

　　whom I never disliked, but simply didn’t take the time to get to know. Thanks to Joe,

　　I have realized how little basis there is for the social divisions that exist in every

　　community. Since this realization, I have begun to make an even more determined

　　effort to find friends in unexpected people and places.

　　Questions 16 to 18 are based on the passage you have just heard. 16. Why does the speaker say Joe Gans became one of his best friends?

　　17. Where does the speaker spend most of his weekends?

　　18. What has the speaker learned from his friendship with Joe?

　　Passage Two

　　While Gail Opp-Kemp, an American artist, was giving a speech on the art of

　　Japanese brush painting to an audience that included visitors from Japan, she was

　　confused to see that many of her Japanese listeners had their eyes closed. Were they

　　turned off because an American had the nerve to instruct Japanese in their own art

　　form? Were they deliberately trying to signal their rejection of her?

　　Opp-Kemp later found out that her listeners were not being disrespectful.

　　Japanese listeners sometimes close their eyes to enhance concentration. Her listeners

　　were showing their respect for her by chewing on her words.

　　Someday you may be either a speaker or a listener in a situation involving people

　　from other countries or members of a minority group in North America. Learning

　　how different cultures signal respect can help you avoid misunderstandings. Here are

　　some examples:

　　In the deaf culture of North America, many listeners show applause not by

　　clapping their hands but by waving them in the air.

　　In some cultures, both overseas and in some minority groups in North America,

　　listeners are considered disrespectful if they look directly at the speaker. Respect is

　　shown by looking in the general direction but avoiding direct eye contact.

　　In some countries, whistling by listeners is a sign of approval, while in other

　　countries, it is a form of insult.

　　Questions 19 to 21 are based on the passage you have just heard.

　　19. What did Opp-Kemp’s speech focus on?

　　20. Why do Japanese listeners sometimes close their eyes while listening to a speech?

　　21. What does the speaker try to explain?

　　Passage Three

　　One of the greatest heartbreaks for firefighters occurs when they fail to rescue a

　　child from a burning building because the child—frightened by smoke and

　　noise—hides under a bed or in a closet and is later found dead.

　　Saddest of all is when children catch a glimpse of the masked firefighter but hide

　　because they think they have seen a monster.

　　To prevent such tragedies, firefighter Eric Velez gives talks to children in his

　　community, explaining that they should never hide during a fire. He displays

　　firefighters’ equipment, including the oxygen mask, which he encourages his listeners

　　to play with and put on. “If you see us,” Velez tells them, “don’t hide. We are not

　　monsters. We have come to rescue you.”

　　Velez gives his presentations in English and Spanish. Growing up in San Francisco, he learned Spanish from his immigrant parents.

　　Velez—and other firefighters throughout North America who give similar

　　presentations—will never know how many lives they save through their talks, but it’s

　　a fact that informative speaking saves lives. For example, several months after

　　listening to an informative speech, Pete Gentry in North Carolina rescued his brother,

　　who was choking on food, by using the method taught by student speaker Julie Parris.

　　In addition to saving lives, informative speakers help people learn new skills,

　　solve problems, and acquire fascinating facts about the exciting world in which they

　　live.

　　Questions 22 to 25 are based on the passage you have just heard.

　　22. Why do some children trapped in a burning building hide from masked firefighters?

　　23. What does the passage tell us about firefighter Eric Velez?

　　24. What do we learn about Pete Gentry?

　　25. What message is the speaker trying to convey?