专业四级听力原文.docx

1、专业四级听力原文Natural ResourcesThrough the changes in the ways of making a living in a family over several generations, the cartoon aims at sounding a warning against mans wasteful use of natural resources and emphasizing the urgent need to preserve these resources.Ever since man appeared on the earth, ma

2、ns survival has been heavily dependent on nature. Almost everything we use in our everyday life comes from nature, ranging from the food we eat, the water we drink, to the wood which is turned into furniture. With the development of technology and population growth, the amount and range of materials

3、 used has increased at an alarming rate.However, natural resources are not inexhaustible. Some reserves are already on the brink of exhaustion and there is no hope of replacing them. The widespread water shortage is an example in point. If man continued to squander natural resources with no thought

4、for the future, the whole world would be in a mess.Useful Words and Expressions:1. make a living 谋生2. aim at 瞄准3. aim high 胸怀大志4. alarming使人惊动的5. inexhaustible 无穷无尽的6. squander 浪费7. be in a mess 乱七八糟House and Home“House” and “home” are two words that have similar meanings.“House” and “home” both ref

5、er to places where people live. However, there is a difference between them. “Home” is often referred to as the place that we live in with our families. Sadly, in our society, people can hardly distinguish a home from a house because they often see no difference between them. This confusion can be t

6、raced back to the indifference between family members. Therefore, we can say that love is an important factor in a home. A home is a shelter, not only for our bodies but also for our minds. Whenever we are depressed, we can go home for comfort. Everyone in the family will do his best to take care of

7、 each other and share their happiness as well as sorrow. Without love, a home is merely a house where loneliness is all that can be found. And a house can never be a home unless there is love.Useful words and expressions:1. refer to 提到2. distinguish区别，辨别3. confusion 混乱，混淆4. trace back 追溯到5. indiffer

8、ence 不关心6. depressed 沮丧的AutomobilesIt is impossible to say that any one man invented the automobile. Many individuals living and working in different countries and at different times contributed to its development. Many of the discoveries that went into the creation of the automobile were small in t

9、hemselves. But together they were important. Here are two examples.“Carriage is running at a speed of 8 to 9 miles an hour.” It was almost unheard of in those days. According to automobile historians, this was the first practical use of mechanical power to move a vehicle. After its first run, the ma

10、chine reportedly burned up while the inventor and his friends were celebrating its success at a pub.Henry Ford is considered the father of modern automobiles mass production. His famous Model-T car, because of its low price, made it possible to produce cars on a large scale and his efforts made it a

11、ccessible to ordinary people.Useful words and expressions:1. reportedly 据传说，据传闻2. mass production大规模生产3. on a large scale 大规模地4. accessible 易接近的，可到达的accessible to 与接近The Influence of LifeIn the early times when human beings hunted and gathered food, they were not in control of their environment. The

12、y could only interact with their surroundings as the other lower animals did.When they learned to make fire, however, they became capable of altering their environment. To provide themselves with fuel, they cut down trees. They also burned clearings in forests to increase the growth of grass and to

13、provide a greater grazing area for the wild animals that human beings fed upon. This development led to farming and the domestication of animals. Fire provided the means for cooking plants which had previously been inedible. Only when the process of meeting the basic need for food reached a certain

14、level was it possible for humans to follow other pursuits such as setting up families, forming societies and founding cities.Useful words and Expressions:1. interact with 与组合2. clearing 空旷地3. grazing 放牧，牧草4. domestication 驯养，驯服5. previously 先前，以前6. inedible 不能吃的，不适于食用的7. pursuit 追击8. set up 设立Popula

15、tion GrowthIt is well-known that there has been a drastic increase in world population. But it is probably les well-known that the extinction rate of wildlife species is experiencing a parallel trend.Take the United States for instance. In 1990, U.S. population reached an unprecedented level of 250

16、million, which is approximately 250 times of that of 1800. On the other hand, wildlife species are disappearing from the country at an alarming rate. By 1990, about 70 wildlife species would never be seen in U.S. We are fully justified in declaring that the explosive population growth has had an adv

17、erse effect on the survival of wildlife species and will be a constant threat to the wildlife resources if no immediate actions are taken.Nothing has ever equaled the magnitude and speed with which the human species is altering the physical and chemical world. It has been demolishing the environment

18、 we are living in.Useful words and expressions:1. drastic 激烈的2. parallel 平行的3. trend 倾向4. unprecedented 空前的5. magnitude 大小，数量6. alter 改变7. demolish 毁坏Dont give upIf we would ever accomplish anything in life, let us not forget that we must persevere. If we would learn our lessons in school, we must b

19、e diligent and not give up whenever we come to anything difficult. We shall find many of our lessons very hard, but let us consider that the harder they are the better they will do to us if we will preserve and learn them thoroughly.But there are some among us who are ready to give up when they come

20、 to a hard example in mathematics, and say, “I cant do this.” They never will if they feel so. “I cant” never does anything worthwhile, but “Ill try” accomplishes wonders.Let us remember that we shall meet with difficulties all through life. They are in the pathway of everyone. If we will only try a

21、nd keep trying, we shall be sure to conquer and overcome very difficulty we meet. Our ConcernThe history of life on earth has been a history of interaction between living things and their surroundings. To a large extent, the physical form and the habits of the earths vegetation and its animal life h

22、ave been molded by the environment. Only in the present century has one species of man acquired significant power to alter the nature of his world.The rapidity of change follows the pace of man rather than the pace of nature. Radiation is now the unnatural creation of mans tampering with the atom. T

23、he chemicals are the creations of mans inventive mind, having no counterparts in nature.We have put poisonous and biologically potent chemicals into the hands of persons largely ignorant of their potentials for harm. We have subjected enormous numbers of people to contact with these enormous numbers

24、 of people to contact with these poisons, without their consent and often without their knowledge. We have allowed these chemicals to be used with little or no advance investigation of their effect. Future generations are unlikely to forgive our lack of concern.Useful Words and Expressions:1. intera

25、ction 交互作用，交感2. vegetation 植被3. mold 塑造，浇铸4. species 种类5. unnatural 不自然的6. temper with 损害，影响7. counterpart 配对物8. poisonous 有毒的9. potent 有力的，有效的10. consent 同意，赞成SleepWhy is it so difficult to fall asleep when you are overtired? There is no one answer that applies to every individual. It is possible t

26、o feel “tired” physically and still be unable to fall asleep, because while your body may be exhausted, you do not feel sleepy. It is not so easy to simply “turn off”.Lack of sleep complicates matters even more. Experts say adults need at least seven to eight hours of sleep a night to function prope

27、rly. When you get less sleep than that on consecutive three nights, you begin to accrue four “sleep debt”. As sleep debt increases your body experiences a stress response. Now a vicious cycle has been created: You experience the feeling of being more and more tired, but your body is increasingly sti

28、mulated. “Power sleeping” for more hours on weekends is only a temporary solution. There is no substitute for getting a good nights sleep on a regular basis.Useful Words and Expressions:1. overtire 使过度疲劳2. apply to 将应用于3. consecutive 连续的，连贯的4. accrue 自然增加，产生5. vicious恶的vicious cycle 恶性循环6. stimulate

29、 刺激，激励7. substitute for 代替，替换Apology HelpsIt is never easy to admit you are in the wrong. Being human, we all need to know the art of apologizing. Look back with honesty and think how often you have judged roughly, you said unkind things, and pushed yourself ahead at the expense of a friend. Then co

30、unt the occasions when you indicated clearly and truly that you were so sorry. A bit frightening, isnt it? It is frightening, isnt it? It is frightening because some deep wisdom in us knows that when even a small wrong has been committed, some mysterious moral feeling is disturbed; and it stays out

31、of balance until fault is acknowledged and regret expressed.A heartfelt apology can not only heal a damaged relationship but also make it stronger. If you can think of someone who deserves an apology from you, someone you have wronged, or judged too roughly, or just neglected, do something about it

32、right now.Useful Words and Expressions:1. push ahead 捉紧进行2. at the expense of 在损害的情况下3. mysterious神秘的4. moral 道德的5. disturbed 扰乱的6. stay out of 不参与，置身于之外7. heartfelt 衷心的，真心真意的8. roughly粗糙地，概略地How High Can You Jump?Fleas trainers have observed a strange habit of fleas while training them.Fleas are trained by putting them in a cardboard box with a top on it. The fleas will jump up and hit the top of the cardboard box over and over and over again. As you wat