2012年12月大学英语四级考试听力原文

　　2012年12月大学英语四级考试已结束，新东方在线第一时间收集整理试题及参考答案，以下是2012年12月大学英语四级真题供考生参考。
　　Section A

　　Directions: In this section, you will hear 8 short conversations and 2 long conversations. At the end of each conversation, one or more questions will be asked about what was said. Both the conversation and the questions will be spoken only once. After each question there will be a pause. During the pause, you must read the four choices marked A), B), C) and D), and decide which is the best answer. Then mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 2 with a single line through the centre.

　　11.

　　W: I just heard about a really beautiful park in the east end of the town. There are a lot of roses in bloom.

　　M: Why don’t we walk over there and see for ourselves?

　　Q: What will the speakers probably do?

　　12.

　　M: My presentation is scheduled for 9:30 tomorrow morning at the lecture hall. I hope to see you there.

　　W: Oh, sorry. I was about to tell you that I have an appointment with my dentist at 9:00 o’clock tomorrow.

　　Q: What do we learn about the woman?

　　13.

　　W: How long have you been running this company?

　　M: Twenty years if you can believe that. I brought it from a small operation to what it is today.

　　Q: What do we learn about the man?

　　14.

　　M: Have you read the news on the campus net? Susan has won the scholarship for next year.

　　W: I knew she would from the very beginning. Such a brilliant and diligent girl! She certainly deserves it.

　　Q: What does the woman mean?

　　15.

　　W: Taking a bus to Miami, it’s cheaper than going by train.

　　M: That’s true. But I’d rather pay a little more for the added comfort and convenience.

　　Q: What does the man mean?

　　16.

　　M: I think it’s time we got rid of all this old furniture.

　　W: You’re right. We need to promote our image besides it’s not a real antique.

　　Q: What do the speakers mean?

　　17.

　　M: That was some storm yesterday. How was I afraid I couldn’t make it home.

　　W: Yeah, most of the roads to my house were flooded. I didn’t get home from the lab until midnight.

　　Q: What do we learn from the conversation?

　　18.

　　W: My boys are always complaining that they’re bored.

　　M: Why don’t you get them into some team sports? My son and daughter play soccer every Saturday. And they both look forward to it all week.

　　Q: What does the man mean?

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

　　W: I don’t know what to do. I can’t seem to get anyone in the hospital to listen to my complaints and this outdated equipment is dangerous. Just look at it.

　　M: Hmm, uh, are you trying to say that it presents a health hazard?

　　W: Yes, I am. The head technician in the lab tried to persuade the hospital administration to replace it, but they are trying to cut costs.

　　M: You are pregnant, aren’t you?

　　W: Yes, I am. I made an effort to get my supervisor to transfer me to another department, but he urged me not to complain too loudly. Because the administration is more likely to replace me than an X-ray equipment, I’m afraid to refuse to work. But I’m more afraid to expose my unborn child to the radiation.

　　M: I see what you mean. Well, as your union representative, I have to warn you that it would take quite a while to force management to replace the old machines and attempt to get you transferred may or may not be successful.

　　W: Oh, what am I supposed to do then?

　　M: Workers have the legal right to refuse certain unsafe work assignments under two federal laws, the Occupation or Safety and Health Act and the National Labor Relations Act. But the requirements of either of the Acts may be difficult to meet.

　　W: Do you think I have a good case?

　　M: If you do lose your job, the union will fight to get it back for you along with back pay, your lost income. But you have to be prepared for a long wait, maybe after two years.

　　Q19. What does the woman complain about?

　　Q20. What has the woman asked her supervisor to do?

　　Q21. What does the man say about the two federal laws?

　　Q22. What will the union do if the woman loses her job

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

　　W: Mr. Green, is it fair to say that negotiation is an art?

　　M: Well, I think it’s both an art and science. You can prepare for a negotiation quite scientifically, but the execution of the negotiation has quite a lot to do with one’s artistic quality. The scientific part of a negotiation is in determining your strategy. What do you want out of it? What can you give? Then of course there are tactics. How do you go about it? Do you take an opening position in a negotiation which differs from the eventual goal you are heading for? And then of course there are the behavioral aspects.

　　W: What do you mean by the behavioral aspects?

　　M: Well, that’s I think where the art comes in. In your behavior, you can either be an actor. You can pretend that you don’t like things which you are actually quite pleased about. Or you can pretend to like things which you are quite happy to do without. Or you can be the honest type negotiator who’s known to his partners in negotiation and always plays everything straight. But the artistic part of negotiation I think has to do with responding immediately to cues one gets in the process of negotiation. These can be verbal cues or even body language. This is where the artistic quality comes in.

　　W: So really, you see two types of negotiator then, the actor or the honest one.

　　M: That’ right. And both can work. I would say the honest negotiator can be quite effective in some circumstances. In other circumstances you need an actor.

　　Q23. When is a scientific approach best embodied in a negotiation according to the man?

　　Q24. In what way is a negotiator like an actor according to the man?

　　Q25. What does the man say about the two types of negotiator?

　　Section B

　　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 2 with a single line through the center.

　　Passage 1

　　Questions 26 to 28 are based on the passage you have just heard.

　　Since I started working part-time at a grocery store, I have learned that a customer is more than someone who buys something. To me, a customer is a person whose memory fails entirely once he or she starts to push a shopping cart. One of the first things customers forget is how to count. There is no other way to explain how so many people get in their express line, which is clearly marked 15 items or less, with 20, 25 or even a cart load of items. Customers also forget why they came to the store in the first place. Just as I finish ringing up an order, a customer will say, “Oops, I forgot to pick up a fresh loaf of bread. I hope you don’t mind waiting while I go get it.” Five minutes later, he is back with the bread, a bottle of milk, and three rolls of paper towels. Strange as it seems, customers also seem to forget that they have to pay for their groceries. Instead of writing a check or looking for a credit card while I am ringing up the groceries, my customers will wait until I announce the total. Then, in surprise, she says, “Oh no, what did I do with my check book?” After 5 minutes of digging through her purse, she borrows my pen because she’s forgotten hers. But I have to be tolerant of customers because they pay my salary, and that’s something I can’t afford to forget.

　　Q26. What does the speaker say about customers’ entering the grocery store?

　　Q27. Which customers are supposed to be in the express line?

　　Q28. What does the speaker say some customers do when they arrive at the check-out counter?

　　Q29. What does the speaker say about his job at the end of the talk?

　　Passage 2

　　Questions 29 to 31 are based on the passage you have just heard.

　　The speech delivery style of Europeans and Asians tends to be very formal. Speakers of these cultures often read oral presentations from carefully written manuscripts. On the other hand, American speakers are generally more informal relative to speakers in other cultures. American audiences prefer natural, spontaneous delivery that conveys a lively sense of communication. They don’t relate well to speakers who read from a manuscript. If you use an outline of your ideas instead of a prepared text, your speech will not only sound more natural, but you will also be able to establish better relationship with your listeners and keep their attention. The language and style you use when making an oral presentation should not be the same as the language and style you use when writing. Well-written information, that is meant to be read, does not work as well when it is heard. It is, therefore, important for you to adapt written texts or outlines for presentations. Good speakers are much more informal when speaking than when writing. They also use their own words and develop their own speaking styles. Whenever possible, they use short words. Listeners appreciate it when speakers use simple, everyday words in a presentation. One advantage is that it’s much easier for speakers to pronounce short words correctly. Another is that long and sophisticated vocabulary choices make listening more difficult.

　　Question 30 to 32

　　30. What does the speaker say American audiences prefer?

　　31. What should one pay attention to when making an oral presentation?

　　32. What does the speaker focus on in the talk?

　　Passage 3

　　Questions 32 to 35 are based on the passage you have just heard.

　　Let children learn to judge their own work. A child learning to talk does not learn by being corrected all the time. If corrected too much, he will stop talking. He compares a thousand times a day the difference between language as he uses it and language as those around him use it. Bit by bit, he makes the necessary changes to make his language like other people’s. In the same way, kids learning to do all the other things they learn without adult teachers, to walk, run, climb, ride a bike, play games, compare their own performance with what more skilled people do, and slowly make the needed changes. But in school we never give a child a chance to detect his mistakes. We do it all for him. We act as if we thought he would never notice a mistake unless it was pointed out to him. Soon he becomes dependent on the expert. We should let him do it himself. Let him figure out, with the help of other children if he wants it, what this word says, what is the answer to that problem, whether this is a good way of saying or doing this or that. If right answers need to be given, as in mathematics or science, give him the answer book. Let him correct his own papers. Why should we teachers waste time on such tedious work? Our job should be to help children when they tell us that they can’t find a way to get the right answer.

　　Question 33 to 35

　　33. How does a child learn to do something according to the speaker?

　　34. What belief do teachers commonly hold according to the speaker?

　　35. What does the speaker imply about the current way of teaching?

　　Section C

　　Directions: 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 36 to43 with the exact words you have just heard. For blanks numbered from 44 to 46 you are required to fill in the missing information. For these blanks, you can either use the exact words you have just heard or write down the main points in your own words. Finally, when the passage is read for the third time, you should check what you have written.

　　(听力原文)Time is, for the average American, of utmost importance. To the foreign visitor, Americans seem to be more concerned with getting things accomplished on time (according to a predetermined schedule) than they are with developing deep interpersonal relations. Schedules, for the American, are meant to be planned and then followed in the smallest detail. It may seem to you that most Americans are completely controlled by the little machines they wear on their wrists, cutting their discussions off abruptly to make it to their next appointment on time. Americans’ language is filled with references to time, giving a clear indication of how much it is valued. Time is something to be “on,” to be “kept,” “filled,” “saved,” “wasted,” “gained,” “planned,” “given,” “made the most of,” even “killed.” The international visitor soon learns that it is considered very rude to be late -- even by 10 minutes -- for an appointment in America. Time is so valued in America, because by considering time to be important one can clearly achieve more than if one “wastes” time and doesn’t keep busy. This philosophy has proven its worth. It has enabled Americans to be extremely productive, and productivity itself is highly valued in America. Many American proverbs stress the value of guarding time, using it wisely, and setting and working toward specific goals. Americans believe in spending their time and energy today so that the fruits of their labor may be enjoyed at a later time.