2017年12月大学英语四级听力真题原文

　　A 9-year-old girl in New Mexico has raised more than $500 for her little brother who needs heart surgery in Houston, Texas this July. Addison Witulski's grandmother Kim Allred, said Addison probably overheard a conversation between family members talking about the funds needed to get her little brother to treatment. "I guess she overheard her grandfather and me talking about how we're worried about how we're going to get to Houston, for my grandson's heart surgery," said Allred. She decided to go outside and have a lemonade stand and make some drawings and pictures and sell them.” That's when Addison and her friends Erika and Emily Borden decided to sell lemonade for 50 cents a cup and sell pictures for 25 cents each.

　　Before Allred knew it, New Mexico State Police Officers were among the many stopping by helping them reach a total of $568. The family turned to social media expressing their gratitude saying, "From the bottom of our hearts, we would like to deeply thank each and every person that stopped by!"

　　1: Who did Addison raise the money for?

　　2: How did Addison raise the money?

　　News Report 2:

　　Last week, France announced that the country will pave 621 miles of road with solar panels over the next five years with the goal of providing cheap, renewable energy to five million people. Called the Ward Way, the roads will be built through joint efforts with the French road building company Colas and the National Institute of Solar Energy. The company spent the last five years developing solar panels that are only about a quarter of inch thick and are strong enough to stand up to heavy highway traffic without breaking or making the roads more slippery. The panels are also designed so that they can be installed directly on top of the existing roadways, making them relatively cheap and easy to install. France is the first country to kick around the idea of paving its roads with solar panels. In November 2015, the Netherlands completed a 229-foot long bike path paved with solar panels as a test for future projects. However, this is the first time a panel has been designed to be laid directly on top existing roads and the first project to install the panels on public highways.

　　3: What was France’s purpose of constructing the Ward Way?

　　4: What is special about the solar panels used in the Ward Way?

　　News Report 3

　　Lions have disappeared from much of Africa, but for the past few years scientists have wondered if the big cats were hanging on in remote parts of Sudan and Ethiopia. Continuous fighting in the region has made surveys difficult. But scientists released a report Monday documenting with hard evidence the discovery of "lost lions." A team with Oxford University’s Wildlife Conservation Research Unit, supported by a charity organization, spent two nights in November camping in a national park in northwest Ethiopia on the Ethiopia-Sudan border. The researchers set out six camera traps, capturing images of lions, and the identified lion tracks. The scientists concluded that lions are also likely to live in a neighboring national park across the border in Sudan. The International Union for Conservation of Nature had previously considered the area a "possible range" for the species, and local people had reported seeing lions in the area, but no one presented convincing evidence.

　　5: What has made it difficult to survey lions in remote parts of Sudan and Ethiopia?

　　6: What was the main purpose of the research?

　　7: What did the researchers find in the national park?

　　Conversation One

　　M: I beg you’re looking forward to the end of this month. Aren’t you?

　　W: Yes, I am. How did you know?

　　M: David told me you had a special birthday coming up.

　　W: Oh, yes. That’s right. This year would be my golden birthday.

　　M: What does that mean? I’ve never heard of a golden birthday.

　　W: I’ve actually just learned of this concept myself. Fortunately, just in time to celebrate. A golden or lucky birthday is when one turns the age of their birth date. So, for example, my sister’s birthday is December 9th and her golden birthday would have been the year she turns 9 years old. Come to think of it , my parents did throw her a surprise party that year.

　　M: Interesting. Too bad I missed mine. My golden birthday would’ve been four years ago. I assumedly got a big plan then.

　　W: Actually yes. My husband is planning a surprise holiday for the two of us next week. I have no idea what he’s gotten in mind, but I’m excited to find out. Has he mentioned anything to you?

　　M: He might have.

　　W: Anything you’d like to share? I’m dying to know what kind of trip he has planned where we’re going.

　　M: Yeah, nothing at all.

　　W: Not a clue. Hard to imagine, isn’t it! Though I must say, I think it has been even more fun keeping the secret for me the past few weeks.

　　M: I’m sure both of you will have a fantastic time. Happy golden birthday! I can’t wait to hear all about it when you get back.

　　8. What does the woman looking forward to?

　　9. What did the woman’s parents do on her sister’s lucky birthday?

　　10. What is the woman eager to find out about?

　　11. What does the man say at the end of the conversation?

　　Conversation Two

　　W: Mr. Green, What do you think makes a successful negotiator?

　　M: Well, It does hard to define, but I think successful negotiators have several things in common. They are always polite and rational people, they are firm, but flexible. They can recognize power and know how to use it. They are sensitive to the dynamics in the negotiation, the way it raises and falls, and how may change the direction. They project the image of confidence, and perhaps most importantly, they know when to stop.

　　W: And what about an unsuccessful negotiator?

　　M: Well, this probably all of us when we start out. We are probably immature and over-trusting, too emotional or aggressive. We are unsure of ourselves and want to be liked by everyone. Good negotiators learn fast, pool negotiators remain like that and go on losing negotiations,

　　W: In your opinion, can the skills of negotiation be taught?

　　M: Well, you can teach someone how to prepare for negotiation. There perhaps six stages in every negotiation, get to know the other side, stay your goals, start the process, clarify there is a disagreement or conflict, reassess your position, making acceptable compromise, and finally reach some agreements and principals. These stages can be studied, and strategies to be used in each can be planned before-hand. But I think the really successful negotiator is probably born with the sixth sense that may respond properly to the situation at hand.

　　W: The artistic sense you just described?

　　M: Yes, that’s right

　　12. What’s the man say about good negotiators?

　　13. What does the man say, maybe the most important thing to a successful negotiator?

　　14. How is a good negotiator different from a poor one?

　　15. What’s the first stage of a negation according to the man?

　　Passage One

　　Some people wonder why countries spend millions of dollars on space projects. They want to know how space research helps people on earth. Actually, space technology helps people on earth every day. This is called spin-off technology. Spin-off technology is space technology that is now used on earth. In early space programs, such as the Apollo missions of the 1960s and 1970s and in the space shuttle missions today, scientists developed objects for the astronauts to use on the moon and in space. We now use some of these objects every day. For example, we have quartz crystal clocks and watches accurate to within one minute a year. We purify the water we drink with the water filter designed for the astronauts to use in space. The cordless hand held tools we use in our homes, such as vacuum cleaners, flashlights, drills came from the technology of these early space programs. On cold winter days, we can stay warm with battery-operated gloves and socks, especially made coats and jackets. All the clothes are similar to the space suits designs that kept astronauts comfortable in the temperatures of the moon, in our spin offs from space technology. These products are only a few examples of the many ways space technology helps us in our everyday lives. No one knows how new spin off technology from the international space station will help us in the future.

　　16. What do some people want to know about space exploration?

　　17. What did scientist do for the space shuttle missions?

　　18. What does the speaker say about the quartz crystal clocks and watches?

　　Passage Two

　　Well, if I could get back in history and live, I'd like to get back to the 18th century and perhaps in colonial America in Yankee new England where one of my ancestors lived, because it was the beginning of something. By the 18th century, there was a feeling of community that had grown. My ancestor was the preacher traveling around countryside. People lived in small communities. It was fisherman and farmers who provided fresh food that tasted and looked like food. Unlike today’s supermarkets, and there were small towns and New York wasn't that far away. I'm deeply attached to the puritan tradition not in a religious sense. But they believed in working for something, working for goals. And I like that. They worked hard at whatever they did, but they had a sense of achievement. They believed in goodness, in community, and helping one another. I love the colonial fabrics or the silver works, the furnishings, the combination of elegance simplicity. I'd love it. The printing, the books, I’m very attached to all that kind of thing. That may not all be very entertaining in the modern sense of the world, but I would have enjoyed spending my evenings in that environment, discussing new ideas, building a new world, and I can see myself sitting on a small chair by the fire doing needle work.

　　19. Why does the speaker say she would like to go back and live in the 18th century America?

　　20. What does the speaker say about the Puritans?

　　21. What would the speaker like doing if she could go back to the past?

　　Passage three

　　If you are lost in the woods, a little knowledge concerned with some people called a hardship into an enjoyable stay away from the troubles of modern society. When you think you're lost,

　　sit down on the log or rock, or lean against the tree, and recite something you are memorized to bring your mind to the point where is under control. Don’t run blindly if you must move, don't follow stream unless you know it, and in that case you're not lost. Streams normally flow through wide land before they reach a lake or river though there are more eatable plants, there may also be wild animals, poisonous snakes, and other hazards. Many experts feel it is the wisest to walk up hill. At the top of most hills and mountains are trails living back to civilizations. If there are no trails, you're much easier to be seen on top of the hill. And you may even spot the highway or railroad from this point. Nowadays, the first way some of you search for you is by air. In the wide lands or in dense grass, we're very hard to spot. Anytime you are going to the woods, somebody should know where you're going, and when you are expected to return, also when someone comes to looking, you should be able to signal to them.

　　22. What does the speaker advise you to do first if you are lost in the woods?

　　23. What will happen if you follow an unknown stream in the woods?

　　24. What do many experts think is the wisest thing to do if you're lost in the woods?

　　25. What should you do before you go into the woods?