2018年英语专业四级考试真题

PART Ⅰ DICTATION
[00:11.25]Listen to the following passage. 
[00:13.43]Altogether the passage 
[00:15.53]will be read to you four times. 
[00:18.59]During the first reading, 
[00:20.70]which will be done at normal speed, 
[00:23.03]listen and try to understand the meaning. 
[00:26.98]For the second and third readings, 
[00:29.41]the passage will be read sentence by sentence, 
[00:32.35]or phrase by phrase, with intervals of 15 seconds. 
[00:37.62]The last reading will be done at normal speed again 
[00:41.94]and during this time you should check your work. 
[00:45.53]You will then be given ONE minute 
[00:47.97]to check through your work once more.
[00:52.52]Please write the whole passage on ANSWER SHEET ONE. 
[00:58.19]Now listen to the passage.
[01:01.03]Emotional Reaction to Music
[01:03.30]No matter who you are, where you live, / 
[01:05.96]or what your cultural background is, / 
[01:08.23]people get some pleasure from listening 
[01:10.55]to their favorite music. / 
[01:12.33]However, some people are simply 
[01:14.59]not capable of enjoying music. / 
[01:17.21]This is not because 
[01:18.11]they can’t experience pleasure at all. / 
[01:20.68]They don’t have trouble 
[01:22.11]hearing music properly, either. / 
[01:24.54]Instead, they’re just indifferent to music. / 
[01:29.25]Researchers have conducted studies to find out / 
[01:31.95]why some people have no emotional reaction to music. / 
[01:36.01]However, despite their efforts, the mystery remains.
[01:41.24]The second and third readings. 
[01:43.29]You should begin writing now.
[01:46.70]No matter who you are, where you live, / 
[02:04.77]No matter who you are, where you live, / 
[02:22.72]or what your cultural background is, / 
[02:39.96]or what your cultural background is, / 
[02:57.09]people get some pleasure from listening 
[02:59.27]to their favorite music. / 
[03:16.31]people get some pleasure from listening 
[03:18.15]to their favorite music. / 
[03:35.35]However, some people are simply 
[03:37.09]not capable of enjoying music. / 
[03:54.62]However, some people are simply 
[03:56.29]not capable of enjoying music. / 
[04:13.95]This is not because 
[04:14.81]they can’t experience pleasure at all. / 
[04:32.83]This is not because 
[04:34.02]they can’t experience pleasure at all. /
[04:51.84]They don’t have trouble 
[04:52.79]hearing music properly, either. / 
[05:10.42]They don’t have trouble 
[05:11.42]hearing music properly, either. /
[05:28.92]Instead, they’re just indifferent to music. / 
[05:48.27]Instead, they’re just indifferent to music. / 
[06:07.76]Researchers have conducted studies to find out / 
[06:26.48]Researchers have conducted studies to find out /
[06:44.99]why some people have no emotional reaction to music. / 
[07:03.33]why some people have no emotional reaction to music. /
[07:21.91]However, despite their efforts, the mystery remains.
[07:41.34]However, despite their efforts, the mystery remains.
[08:01.04]The last reading.
[08:03.08]No matter who you are, where you live, / 
[08:05.66]or what your cultural background is, / 
[08:07.77]people get some pleasure from listening 
[08:10.10]to their favorite music. / 
[08:11.92]However, some people are simply 
[08:14.14]not capable of enjoying music. / 
[08:16.78]This is not because 
[08:17.65]they can’t experience pleasure at all. / 
[08:20.10]They don’t have trouble 
[08:21.65]hearing music properly, either. / 
[08:24.05]Instead, they’re just indifferent to music. / 
[08:28.35]Researchers have conducted studies to find out / 
[08:32.17]why some people have no emotional reaction to music. / 
[08:35.61]However, despite their efforts, the mystery remains.
[08:43.84]Now you have ONE minute to check through your work.
[09:47.86]This is the end of PART I DICTATION.
[09:53.05]PART Ⅱ LISTENING COMPREHENSION
[09:57.11]SECTION A  TALK
[10:00.04]In this section you will hear a talk. 
[10:03.33]You will hear the talk ONCE ONLY. 
[10:06.99]While listening, 
[10:08.66]you may look at the task on ANSWER SHEET ONE 
[10:12.24]and write NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS for each gap. 
[10:16.97]Make sure what you fill in 
[10:19.51]is both grammatically and semantically acceptable. 
[10:24.13]You may use the blank sheet for note-taking.
[10:27.62]You have THIRTY seconds to preview the gap-filling task.
[11:04.41]Now listen to the talk. 
[11:06.49]When it is over, 
[11:07.82]you will be given TWO minutes to check your work.
[11:11.49]The Linguistic Gift of Babies
[11:13.98]Good morning, everyone. 
[11:15.26]In today’s lecture, 
[11:16.70]I’m going to talk about something you can’t see. 
[11:20.14]That is, what’s going on in the little brain of a baby. 
[11:24.71]For example, 
[11:25.86]how babies learn a language. 
[11:27.96]It is always a question people show great interest in. 
[11:32.24]Babies and children are geniuses until they turn seven, 
[11:36.58]and then there’s a systematic decline. 
[11:39.66]Work in my lab is focused on 
[11:41.50]the first critical period in development, 
[11:44.60]and that is the period 
[11:46.13]in which babies try to master 
[11:47.94]which sounds are used in their language. 
[11:51.73]We think, by studying how the sounds are learned, 
[11:54.90]we’ll have a model for the rest of language, 
[11:58.12]and perhaps for critical periods 
[12:00.22]that may exist in childhood for social, 
[12:03.43]emotional and cognitive development. 
[12:06.78]So we’ve been studying the babies 
[12:08.48]by conducting an experiment. 
[12:10.89]During our experiment, 
[12:12.84]the baby, usually a six-monther, 
[12:15.57]sits on a parent’s lap, 
[12:17.90]and we train them to turn their heads 
[12:19.83]when a sound changes—
[12:21.84]like from “ah” to “ee”. 
[12:24.90]If they do so at the appropriate time, 
[12:28.27]the black box lights up and a panda bear pounds a drum. 
[12:33.29]What have we learned? 
[12:35.59]Well, babies all over the world 
[12:37.83]are what I like to describe 
[12:39.46]as “citizens of the world”. 
[12:42.11]They can discriminate all the sounds of all languages, 
[12:45.87]no matter what country we’re testing 
[12:48.32]and what language we’re using, 
[12:50.44]and that’s remarkable because you know, 
[12:52.97]I can’t do that. 
[12:54.97]We're culture-bound listeners. 
[12:57.93]We can discriminate the sounds of our own language, 
[13:01.06]but not those of foreign languages. 
[13:03.63]So the question arises: 
[13:05.31]When do those citizens of the world 
[13:07.27]turn into the language-bound listeners that we are? 
[13:10.96]And the answer: 
[13:12.26]before their first birthdays. 
[13:15.03]What you see here is performance on 
[13:17.55]that head-turn task for babies 
[13:19.92]tested in Tokyo and the United States, 
[13:22.80]here in Seattle, 
[13:24.40]as they listened to the “ra” and “la” —
[13:28.37]sounds important to English, 
[13:30.37]but not to Japanese. 
[13:32.50]So at six to eight months, 
[13:33.95]the babies are totally equivalent. 
[13:36.17]Two months later, 
[13:37.32]something, something incredible occurs. 
[13:40.85]The babies in the United States 
[13:43.08]are getting a lot better 
[13:44.94]while babies in Japan are getting a lot worse.
[13:48.44]So the question is: 
[13:50.65]What’s happening during this critical two-month period? 
[13:53.84]We know this is the critical period for sound development, 
[13:57.16]but what's going on up there? 
[13:59.36]Maybe there are two things going on. 
[14:02.50]The first is that the babies are listening intently to us, 
[14:06.32]and they’re taking statistics as they listen to us talk—
[14:10.55]they’re taking statistics. 
[14:13.28]That is to say, 
[14:14.97]the two babies listen to their own mother 
[14:17.27]speaking motherese—
[14:19.50]the universal language we use when we talk to kids.
[14:24.41]（10-2） During the production of speech, 
[14:25.87]when babies listen, 
[14:27.07]what they’re doing is taking statistics, 
[14:29.60]that is, sound distribution on the language 
[14:32.16]that they hear. 
[14:33.46]And those sound distributions grow 
[14:35.85]and babies absorb more. 
[14:38.09]And what we've learned is 
[14:39.73]that babies are sensitive to the statistics, 
[14:41.66]and the statistics of Japanese and English 
[14:43.77]are very, very different. 
[14:46.81]I mean, the sound distribution of both languages 
[14:49.32]is different. 
[14:50.57]So babies absorb the statistics of the language 
[14:54.07]and it changes their brains; 
[14:55.90]it changes them from the citizens of the world 
[14:58.30]to the culture-bound listeners 
[15:00.23]that we are 
[15:01.31]because we as adults 
[15:02.87]are no longer absorbing those statistics. 
[15:06.67]In this case, of course, 
[15:08.30]we’re arguing 
[15:09.34]that the learning of language material 
[15:11.16]may slow down when our distribution stabilizes. 
[15:14.98]OK. Today, we just talked about a recent project 
[15:18.18]on babies’ language development. 
[15:20.23]In our next lecture, 
[15:21.41]we will concentrate on bilingual people, 
[15:24.24]how bilinguals keep two sets of statistics 
[15:26.97]in mind at once.
[15:29.49]Now you have TWO minutes to check your work.
[17:37.47]This is the end of SECTION A TALK.
[17:42.50]SECTION B CONVERSATIONS
[17:45.83]In this section you will hear two conversations. 
[17:49.83]At the end of each conversation, 
[17:51.75]five questions will be asked about 
[17:54.45]what was said. 
[17:56.02]Both the conversations and the questions 
[17:59.03]will be spoken ONCE ONLY. 
[18:02.49]After each question 
[18:03.47]there will be a ten-second pause. 
[18:06.57]During the pause, 
[18:07.85]you should read the four choices of A, B, C and D, 
[18:13.54]and mark the best answer to each question 
[18:16.18]on ANSWER SHEET TWO.
[18:19.25]You have THIRTY seconds to preview the choices.
[18:52.91]Now, listen to the conversations.
[18:56.19]Conversation One
[18:58.51]Questions 1 to 5 are based on Conversation One.
[19:03.17]W: Hi, Bob. You speak very good Chinese. 
[19:06.10]M: Not really, Mary. 
[19:07.67]I just know a little.
[19:09.03]Actually, 
[19:09.99]not being able to speak a foreign language 
[19:12.00]is a bit of a British trait 
[19:13.87]or a particularly British characteristic. 
[19:17.08]The British are generally considered 
[19:18.97]to be lazy linguists. 
[19:20.82]We just don’t bother to learn another language. 
[19:24.28]W: I guess the main reason is that 
[19:25.91]when you travel around the world, 
[19:27.65]you find that English is spoken almost everywhere.
[19:31.75]M: Yes, yes. 
[19:32.82]We get by. 
[19:33.84]We survive on just using our mother language. 
[19:37.51]W: But you seem to love learning languages a lot. 
[19:40.69]How many foreign languages can you speak?
[19:43.47]M: Not that many. 
[19:44.63]A bit of German, some French, Polish a little, 
[19:47.95]Chinese of course, a bit of Japanese. 
[19:50.75]That’s about it.
[19:52.38]W: I’m impressed. 
[19:53.55]Well, what is the second most-spoken language 
[19:56.41]in England? 
[19:57.29]Is it Chinese?
[19:58.12]M: No, I don’t think so. 
[20:00.70]W: Then, that must be French.
[20:02.62]M: No. According to the recent census, 
[20:05.54]104 different languages are spoken in the UK 
[20:09.40]and Polish is the second most spoken language, 
[20:12.35]followed by Punjabi and Urdu.
[20:16.22]W: Then, do you have to learn 
[20:17.57]a foreign language in school?
[20:19.00]M: No, it’s not compulsory. 
[20:21.39]But recently a campaign was launched 
[20:23.57]to encourage everyone in the UK 
[20:25.71]to learn at least 1,000 words of another language. 
[20:30.11]It hopes to help Britain increase 
[20:32.12]international trade.
[20:33.76]W: 1,000 words?
[20:35.34]M: Yes. It’s called the 1,000 Words Campaign 
[20:39.56]because it says a vocabulary of 1,000 words 
[20:43.18]would allow a speaker 
[20:45.09]to hold a simple conversation.
[20:47.01]W: That sounds like a good idea.
[20:48.70]M: Yes.It gives you self-satisfaction 
[20:52.13]and self-esteem 
[20:53.37]if you can speak another language 
[20:54.94]when you’re travelling. 
[20:56.20]And I think it also gives you an edge 
[20:58.56]in a lot of different areas in the workplace. 
[21:01.67]You feel good about learning a new skill 
[21:04.21]and you feel good about yourself, 
[21:06.28]and it boosts your confidence. 
[21:08.48]Imagine going on a holiday to Spain 
[21:10.10]and being able to speak to the locals.
[21:12.85]W: Of course it does make one feel good. 
[21:15.59]M: And there are also the economic benefits 
[21:18.33]of speaking another language. 
[21:20.19]It gives you an advantage, 
[21:21.97]especially if you are dealing with 
[21:23.81]foreign companies.
[21:24.85]W: Yes. 
[21:26.56]It also shows politeness and respect 
[21:28.94]for other people 
[21:29.82]by showing you have made an effort.
[21:32.19]M: You’re right. 
[21:33.23]Mm, I’m afraid I must get going now. 
[21:36.29]I’ll have my Chinese class at 10 o’clock.
[21:39.14]W:Oh, I have a class at 10 as well. 
[21:42.19]OK, see you later.
[21:43.92]M: See you.
[21:45.90]Questions 1 to 5 are based on Conversation One.
[21:50.57]1. According to the man, 
[21:53.89]what is a British characteristic?
[22:07.83]2. What is the second most-spoken language in the UK?
[22:24.49]3. Why was the 1,000 Words Campaign launched?
[22:40.62]4.According to the man, 
[22:44.21]which is not considered an advantage of 
[22:47.13]learning a foreign language?
[22:59.64]5. What’s the most probable relationship 
[23:03.71]between the man and the woman?
[23:17.40]This is the end of Conversation One.
[23:21.05]Conversation Two
[23:23.49]Questions 6 to 10 are based on Conversation Two.
[23:28.25]W: Hello, and welcome to today’s program. 
[23:31.48]I’m Alice.
[23:32.59]M: And I’m Jack. Hello. 
[23:35.47]W: Hello, Jack. 
[23:36.96]You’re off on holiday tomorrow, aren’t you?
[23:39.49]M: I am and you know, 
[23:41.17]and I'm dreading it. I hate flying!
[23:44.07]W: Do you?  
[23:45.43]I didn’t know you had a phobia—
[23:47.66]and that means a strong 
[23:49.00]and unreasonable fear of something.
[23:51.59]M: Well, I don’t think this is a phobia 
[23:53.90]because it isn’t unreasonable. 
[23:55.93]Flying thousands of feet up in the sky, 
[23:58.68]you know, that’s not safe!
[24:01.34]W: Flying is safer than you think, Jack. 
[24:03.58]It’s much riskier to drive or cycle to work. 
[24:07.44]And, actually, 
[24:08.39]risk taking is the subject of today’s show! 
[24:12.03]Risk means the chances of something bad happening. 
[24:15.64]For example, 
[24:16.76]did you know that your chance of 
[24:18.71]being knocked off your bicycle 
[24:20.21]and killed during a one-mile journey 
[24:22.57]is the same as your chances of 
[24:24.60]winning the lottery?
[24:26.13]M: I didn’t know that.
[24:27.87]W: Can you guess 
[24:28.86]what are the chances of 
[24:30.45]either of these two things happening?
[24:32.18]M: I have no idea. 
[24:33.89]One in a million?
[24:35.36]W: No, it’s one in 14 million. 
[24:38.66]You are as likely to win the national lottery 
[24:41.35]from a single ticket 
[24:43.53]as you are to be knocked off your bicycle 
[24:45.93]and killed during a one-mile journey.
[24:48.12]M: But why are we bad at assessing risk?
[24:51.37]W: People typically fear anything 
[24:53.64]which is small probability 
[24:56.09]but it’s extremely catastrophic 
[24:58.27]if it were to happen…
[25:00.74]Recently we have another increase 
[25:02.84]in these birds’ virus outbreaks. 
[25:05.58]People read about that. 
[25:07.15]And they may pay a lot of attention to 
[25:08.84]that in the news 
[25:09.91]but they may forget to get their flu shot. 
[25:12.59]M: That’s right. 
[25:13.93]We tend to worry about 
[25:15.25]big or catastrophic events 
[25:17.10]such as catching bird flu 
[25:19.13]or dying in a plane crash 
[25:21.34]because we react emotionally to them. 
[25:24.51]W: Yeah. 
[25:25.43]Catastrophic events feel like very real threats, 
[25:29.39]while we tend to forget about the small 
[25:31.51]but chronic risks that become more likely over time.
[25:35.76]M: We do. 
[25:36.71]So for example, 
[25:38.24]what if there was a cigarette 
[25:40.25]that killed you as soon as you smoked it? 
[25:42.96]Nobody would do that, would they? 
[25:45.45]W: No, they wouldn’t.
[25:46.71]M: But plenty of people 
[25:47.78]are happy to smoke for years, 
[25:49.36]and put off worrying about the health risks 
[25:52.03]for the future.
[25:53.40]W: Yes, that’s a good point, Jack! 
[25:55.48]People feel they are in control of risks 
[25:58.17]that stretch over time. 
[26:00.78]You know, they think, 
[26:02.07]“I could stop tomorrow” 
[26:03.57]or “I could smoke less”. 
[26:06.18]But what about people 
[26:08.04]who really enjoy taking big risks—
[26:10.60]those thrill seekers out there?
[26:12.73]M: People who enjoy extreme sports 
[26:14.98]actually seek out danger—
[26:17.25]it gives them extreme pleasure! 
[26:19.19]If the risk is really high, 
[26:21.38]it means that the pleasure 
[26:23.13]needs to be equally high, 
[26:24.97]or hopefully even higher… 
[26:26.90]W: You’re right. 
[26:29.68]Questions 6 to 10 are based on Conversation Two.
[26:34.34]6. According to Alice, what is a phobia?
[26:49.54]7. What are the chances of 
[26:52.34]getting knocked off one’s bicycle 
[26:54.66]and killed in a one-mile journey?
[27:08.64]8. What kind of event do people 
[27:12.92]tend to worry about?
[27:25.42]9. Which may involve a chronic risk?
[27:41.54]10. Why do some people enjoy risks?
[27:57.13]This is the end of Conversation Two.
[28:07.63]This is the end of