大学英语四级专项训练Word文件下载.docx

1、 In this section, you will hear a passage three times. When the passage is read for the first time, you should listen carefully for its general idea. When the passage is read for the second time, you are required to fill in the blanks numbered from 1 to 10 with the exact words and phrases you have j

2、ust heard. When the passage is read for the third time, you should check what you have written.Super-babies arent happy babies. They are drilling their infants in math and reading skills, using flashcards, books and videotapes. They are 1 their 3-year-old in tennis lessons and entering their 4-yrar-

3、olds in beauty contest and 2 competitions. Now they are trying to educate their kids in the womb with phone-like learning 3 . They are parents who want their children to be super-babies. As a distinct 4 species, they have gained increasing attention in recent years, even as their overzealousness has

4、 been 5 by many child-development experts. But no one has presented evidence against the superbaby ethic in a comprehensive, 6 _ way - until now, in a new book by Dr. Elkind, a child psychologist. These 7 parents are engaging in a form or mis-education, said Dr. Elkind, Im alarmed by what I see. Tho

5、ugh superbaby phenomenon was first noted in upper-middle-class families several years ago, now less advantaged families seem to be 8 wealthy parents. Increasing numbers of American youngsters are pressed to think, feel, and behave like older children and adults. The long-term consequences of parenta

6、l efforts are 9 - stomachaches and headaches, eating and sleeping problems and changes in childrens ordinary 10 . Preschoolers self-esteem can also be diminished since the tendency of children is to blame themselves when they cant do an impossible task set by an adult. There can be other more damagi

7、ng effects.Compound Dictation 2We are all more obsessed with our appearance than we like to admit. Concern about appearance is quite normal and understandable. Attractive people have 1 advantages in our society. Studies show: Attractive children are more popular, both with classmates and teachers. T

8、eachers give higher 2 to the work of attractive children and 3 of them. Attractive applicants have a better chance of getting jobs, and of receiving higher salaries. One US study found that taller men earned around $600 per inch more than shorter 4 a month. In court, attractive people are found guil

9、ty less often. When found guilty, they receive less 5 sentences.We also believe in the What is beautiful is good stereotype - a deep-rooted belief that physically attractive people 6 other desirable characteristics such as intelligence, 7 , social skills and confidence - even moral virtue. The good

10、fairy princess is always beautiful; the wicked stepmother is always ugly. It is not surprising that physical attractiveness is of overwhelming importance to us. Every period of history has its own standards of what is beautiful, and every contemporary society has 8 of the ideal physical features. In

11、 the 19th century being beautiful meant wearing a corset causing 9 problems. Now we try to diet and exercise ourselves into the fashionable shape - often with even more serious consequences. But although we resemble our ancestors in our concern about appearance, there is a difference 10 Compound Dic

12、tation 3Formal evaluations of teachers by students, something that would have been viewed as the height of 1 a generation ago, have become accepted procedure on most campuses. The evaluations are used to improve teaching, to help students choose courses and assist faculty and administrators 2 and te

13、nure decisions.In addition to the institutionalized procedures for faculty evaluations, informal course guides are also 3 and sold by students at some universities. One of the oldest of these guides is the Confidential Guide to Courses, or the Confi Guide, put out by the editors of the Harvard Crims

14、on. The first purpose is to be humorous; the second purpose, if one cant be humorous, is to be interesting, and last, were 4 , said Jonathan Moses, managing editor of The Crimson. Were not like the CUE Guide, he said, 5 the official university course guide, They are looking for substance, not style

15、- a terrible thing.At Stanford University, the official guide has been 6 . Student is able to use a terminal to find out all the courses taught on a certain day or the names of the course taught by a certain professor or what 7 a given course fulfills. At the end of each course 8 is a student evalua

16、tion section, which asks questions like, What are the best things about the class? How would you 9 the course? What would you say to a student taking this course? Besides, individual faculty members are encouraged to 10 their own questionnaires for their students. These are used to help faculty memb

17、ers to improve their teaching and to make decisions about tenure. Compound Dictation 4The formal education in the United States differed from education systems of other Western societies in three fundamental respects. First, Americans were more 1 to regard education as a solution to various social p

18、roblems. Second, because they had this confidence in the power of education, Americans 2 more years of schooling for a larger percentage of the population than other countries. Third, education institutions were 3 governed by local authorities rather than by 4 ones. The most notable characteristic o

19、f the American education system is the large number of people it serves. Expanding access to college education is a 5 for the US government. In 1997 President Clinton called for creating a new policy to enable 6 every high school graduate to receive some form of college education.Since the 1980s, ed

20、ucation policymakers have given greater attention and 7 to improve the quality of education in nonschool settings. For example, educators view the family as perhaps the most powerful educational force, and schools have increased education programs designed specifically for parents. Museums have also

21、 8 their instructional role. Sesame Street for children, created in the 1960s, was an early demonstration of how television could advance rather than retard educational values. 9 the United States, fewer people go on to higher education in Britain, and there is more emphasis on segregating pupils at

22、 the lower level 10 ability. Compound Dictation 5Studies show the average age of American farmers is slowly rising. Fewer young Americans are deciding to enter farming than in the past. And the number of farmers and working farms in the United States has 1 over time. The Economic Research Service re

23、leased a report 2 . The agency is part of the United States Department of 3 . The Economic Research Service says the 4 age of an American farmer is fifty-four years old. It notes the percentage of farmers fifty-five or older rose to 61% in 1997. Only thirty-seven 5 of farmers were fifty-five or olde

24、r in 1954. The new report says farmers generally are older than other American workers for 6 reasons. Farmers can continue working on their farms long after most wage 7 have retired. The number of years that Americans can expect to live has increased. This means many farmers can 8 until they are ver

25、y old. The increased use of machines in agriculture also has helped older farmers. They can use machines instead of physical labor. The Economic Research Service notes that the future of farming in the United States 9 the employment of more new workers on farms. However, fewer young Americans are becoming farmers. The percentage of farmers younger than thirty-five years old has 10 15% in 1954 to 8% three years ago. Compound Dictation 6We sit around the rough wooden table in the summer ca