2013年专四听力原文

　　SECTION B PASSAGES

　　Questions 11 to 13 are based on the following passage.

　　Now the weather forecast. It's a mixed picture over the next few days. Today, very wet andwindy in Northern Europe. You can see from the satellite picture that the highest temperatures,as they so often are, are in the southern parts of Europe, where it's also quite dry, particularlyover the eastern parts of the Mediterranean. The forecast suggests that it's going to be quitecold over northwestern parts of Europe for the rest of the day, even some snow on theScandinavian Mountains. So that's today's weather, with showery conditions in many parts ofNorthern Europe but the best of the sunshine in the south and throughout the Mediterranean.And pretty good but cool in the eastern parts of Europe, too. Now let's look at tomorrow'sweather chart. Very much the same in the south except that the rain is starting to push downinto the northern parts of the Mediterranean there. Elsewhere, staying fine in Eastern Europeand fine in central and eastern parts of the Mediterranean as well. But still wet and windy inmany northwestern parts of Europe, including southern parts of Scandinavian, and a bit cooltoo.

　　Questions 14 to 17 are based on the following passage.

　　Once upon a time societies were organised around religion, farming, trade or industry. In manyparts of the world today this is still true, but something else is becoming more important--- theexchange of information, and the technology that we use to do this. Twenty-four hour news,e-commerce, mobile phones, Global Positioning Systems... all these are making the worldsmaller and faster. The growth in telecommunications is giving more and more people access tothe science that will help their country to develop or to acquire the medical knowledge that canfight disease. But how can everybody in the world share the recent technological advances?Millions of people cannot read these words because they don't have access to a computer. Theydon't understand English either. They don't even have a telephone. They are more worriedabout how far they will have to walk today to get clean water or if they can feed themselves andtheir families. For most people on this planet, information is not a priority. The United Nationsis now trying to make the information society a reality for more of the developing world. Tenyears from now, the plan is that everybody in the world will have a radio or television and that50% of the world's population will have access to the internet from schools and universities,health centres and hospitals, libraries and museums. This will improve medical care andeducation, science and agriculture, business opportunities and employment.

　　Questions 18 to 20 are based on the following passage.

　　People worldwide celebrate New Year in different ways. In Latin America, people express theirhopes through the color of their underwear. If you wore yellow, that supposedly enhances yourchances for abundance and earning more money. If it was red, then you'll more likely find lovein the New Year. And if you were wearing white underpants, preferably new and clean, thenpeace will be your top priority for the coming year. In the Philippines, people eat round fruits tobring good fortune while they are noisily banging together pots and pans. However, some NewYear's traditions have nothing to do with luck. In Denmark, people throw their old dishes at thedoors of their friends' homes each New Year's Eve. Thus, a front doorstep covered with brokenplates suggests that the person inside has a lot of friends. Still, for all those who take part ingrand New Year's events, there are many more who make their own traditions. It may be asmall gathering of family and friends, watching New York's Times Square ball drop on TV, orloudly running through the neighborhood.

　　Some may simply go to sleep early, so they can be energized for an early New Year's Day hike--- perhaps while wearing underwear that suits their mood, and wishes, for the New Year.

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　　SECTION C NEWS BROADCAST

　　News Item 1 (For Questions 21 and 22)

　　Digital textbooks are transforming the way manystudents learn. All the Fairfax County Public Schoolshave begun using online course material for theirmiddle- and high-school students. This school year,the schools shifted from hard cover to electronic textbooks for social studies in its middle andhigh schools. The switch came after digital books were used in 15 schools last year. "Ourstudents come to us technologically ready to use resources from a variety of different places,"says Assistant Superintendent Peter Noonan. "The world is changing consistently. The onlinetextbooks can change right along with the events that are happening." There's a significantfinancial benefit as well. "Usually it is between $50 and $70 to buy a textbook for eachstudent," Noonan says, "which adds up to roughly $8 million for all of our students. We actuallyhave purchased all of the online textbooks for our students for just under $6 million."

　　News Item 2 (For Questions 23 and 24)

　　A man was arrested on suspicion of attempting to carry explosives through a securitycheckpoint at an airport, authorities said. Trey Scott Atwater was taken into custody Saturdaymorning after Transportation Security Administration agents spotted what they described as asuspicious item. The item was in his carry-on during X-ray screening at a security checkpointat the airport, an FBI spokesman said in a statement. Neither the FBI nor the TSA identifiedthe explosives, though an airport spokeswoman said the items were "wrapped in military gradewrapping" and are in the possession of the police. At no time was there any danger to thepeople at the airport. The airport terminal was temporarily evacuated while authorities"conducted a sweep, and deemed all clear," said a city spokeswoman. Atwater has beenarrested on a federal count of attempting to get on an aircraft with an explosive.

　　News Item 3 (For Questions 25 and 26)

　　In Dakar, psychiatric patients attend regular art therapy classes to help treat mentaldisorders. The therapy can be a useful technique to complement traditional forms ofpsychotherapy. Psychiatrists in the Senegalese capital's main hospital see it as an essentialpart of the healing process. Art as psychotherapy is still relatively new in Senegal. Dr. TabaraSylla, the hospital's chief psychiatrist, uses art therapy, medication and classical forms ofpsychotherapy in her practice, treating everything from chronic depression to alcohol abuseand schizophrenia. At first the project started as a way to keep patients busy in the afternoon,rather than have them sitting around smoking. It soon became clear that art was creating acommunication bridge between patient and doctor. More and more now, she says, artworkshops have become essential therapy --- so much that she cannot imagine thispsychiatric unit without them.

　　News Item 4 (For Questions 27 and 28)

　　The Federal Aviation Administration, or FAA, the government agency that regulates civil aviationin the United States, announced new rules this month to combat pilot fatigue. The newguidelines, which will go into effect in two years, call for reducing the number of pilots' on-dutyhours and giving them a 10-hour rest period between shifts, so they can get at least 8 hours ofuninterrupted sleep. The new rules apply to only pilots of passenger airlines. FAA determinedthat including pilots who fly cargo planes --- a large segment of the aviation industry ---would add too much to the cost of implementing the changes. But the Independent PilotsAssociation has filed a lawsuit asking the government to set one level of safety for all pilots.

　　News Item 5 (For Question 29and 30)

　　The world will need to double food production within the next three decades in order to feed arapidly growing and increasingly affluent population, which is projected to grow from 7 billiontoday to 9 billion. A United Nations report says reaching that goal will require major increases inintensive, high-efficiency livestock operations for both meat and dairy production. The reportalso says that intensive livestock operations can pose serious ecological risks. And that's whyenvironmental critics are calling instead for reductions in global livestock production, andurging people to consume less, not more, meat in their diets. Feeding today's population is achallenge for an already-stressed environment. The challenge is how to ensure food withoutincreasing animal numbers and having an impact on fragile lands and our resource bases. Morethan half of the agricultural land in the world is used to raise and feed livestock. Those farmanimals are also responsible for 18 percent of the greenhouse gases released into theatmosphere every year. Experts agree that the next few decades will present a puzzle, how tofeed nine billion people without wrecking the planet in the process.

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