四级短文听写

四级短文听写篇一：四级短文听写填词篇

四级短文听写的长度一般在200到250词之间，包括8个单词填空和3个句子填空。全文朗读三遍。第一遍朗读时，中间没有停顿，供考生听懂全文内容；第二遍朗读时，单词空格中间没有停顿，句子空格大约有60秒的停顿时间，要求考生把听到的内容填入空格；第三遍朗读与第一遍一样，中间没有停顿，供考生核对所填内容。

Lecture 1第一讲5招扫清填词障碍

从某种意义上说，短文听写实际上也是一种完形填空。我们可以利用完形填空技巧，根据空格前后的语法结构、近义或反义复现等卷面材料所提供的已知信息来预测空格处的未知信息，从而提高答题的针对性，减少盲目性。第一招： 利用句子的语法结构根据句子的主谓搭配、动宾搭配、修饰关系以及虚拟、倒装等语法结构关系，判断所缺单词充当的成分，从而推测出所填词的词性及形式（名词单复数或动词的时态、语态等）。

【例1】 （11?6?42，43）Albert Einstein (42)this in 1905, when he (43) the concept of relative time as part of his Special Theory of Relativity.

【解析】分析句子结构可知，空格(42)以及空格(43)所在分句均缺少谓语动词，(42)题答案为predicted，意为“预测”。(43)题答案为introduced，意为“引进，介绍”。

第二招： 利用语义连贯根据上下文中的关键词与空格前后词语在语义上的连贯，推断所填词可能的含义。

【例2】(08?12?39)Crime rates have always been high in multicultural, industrialized societies such as the United States, but a new (37) has appeared on the world (38) —rapidly rising crime rates in nations that previously reported few (39) .

【解析】空格（39）前的形容词few表明此处应填复数名词。此句与but前一句的情况构成转折，前一句说，犯罪率在美国等具有多元文化的工业化社会一直很高，空格所在句则说“犯罪率在那些以前很少有(39) 报道的国家开始快速上升”，为了确保语义上的连贯，所填词应有“犯罪，罪行”之意。本空答案为offences，意为“犯罪，罪行”。37题答案为phenomenon（现象），38题答案为scene（场景）。

第三招： 从逻辑衔接中寻找线索根据上下文及句际间的逻辑关系（如并列、转折、因果等）推测所填词可能的含义（主要通过连接词、介词短语和副词来判断）。

【例3】 (04?6?S5)Anyone may go there and read anything in the collection. But no one is (S5) to take books out of the building.

【解析】转折连词but前是说“任何人都可以进去阅读收藏的书籍”，根据but的特点可知，其后应该是说“任何人都不可以把书拿出大楼”，由此可知所填词应该表示“可以，允许”之意。本空答案为permitted，意为“允许”。

第四招： 利用上下文的照应或复现关系注意在同一语境中寻找能够与所填词构成近义、反义或同根等复现或照应关系的词语，从而推测出所填词可能的形式或含义。近义词或反义词的出现常伴有表示并列或转折关系的信号词。

【例4】 (09?12?43)For example, descriptive writing might list the colors an artist used in a painting or the (43) a composer included in a musical composition, so as to make pictures or sounds in the reader?s mind by calling up specific details of the work.

【解析】分析句子结构可知，所填词应与前面的colors并列，故很可能也是名词复数，二者后面都跟了一个省略了that的定语从句；所填词的定语a composer… in a musical composition提示，该词应该与composer, musical属于同一个语义场，故应该与音乐有关。本空答案为instruments，意为“乐器”。

第五招： 利用词语的固定搭配根据所填词与其前后词语构成的固定搭配或习惯表达来推测所填词可能的形式或含义。

【例5】 (07?6?37)Most parents are well (36) , but some of them aren?t very helpful with the problems their sons and daughters have in (37) to college, and a few of them seem to go out of their way to add to their children?s difficulties.

【解析】空格（37）前的介词in和空后的介词to提示所填词应为名词或动名词。根据整句话的含义不难得知，刚上大学的孩子需要“适应”大学生活。adjust to…意为“适应”。本空答案为adjusting,意为“适应”。

Lecture 2第二讲5招攻克填句难关

短文听写所考查的句子的结构一般都比较复杂，如在不了解其内容的情况下直接听写，很难抓住全部信息。因此，我们应该在听音前根据空格前后的逻辑关系、上下文陈述内容及短文整体脉络对句子可能陈述的主题进行推测，从而在听音过程中抓取更多的有效信息。第一招： 根据段落大意推测段落首尾处空格内容段落的开头或结尾往往起到承上启下的作用，常为主题句或总结性内容，因此应注意对段落的细节内容进行总结和归纳，从而推测出段首或段尾处空格可能表达的内容。

【例1】 (03?1?S8)Big, high?tech fleets (S6) ensure that everything in their path is pulled out of water. Anything too small, or the wrong thing, is thrown back either dead or dying. That?s an (S7) average of more than 20 million metric tons every year. (S8) .

【解析】所缺句子为该段最后一句，应起承上启下作用。根据前句含义和下段举例，此处很可能是进一步说明前句中的惊人数量和问题的严重性。本空答案为When you consider that equals a quarter of the world?s catch, you begin to see the size of the problem。

第二招： 理清句子间的逻辑关系作者在组织篇章和段落时，经常会使用一些表达逻辑关系（如顺承关系、因果关系、对比关系、转折关系等）的词或短语。通过这些逻辑关系词语，理清句子间的逻辑关系，可以推测出所缺句子所表达的大致含义。

【例2】 (05?1?S8)It is a good Japanese camera, easy to use. (S8) whereas the American versions are considerably more expensive.

【解析】文章提到Japan，Germany，the USA三国的照相机，空前的Japanese和空后的American以及连词whereas（表对比）提示本句描述的应是Germany的相机。此处是三国照相机之间的对比。前后句中use, expensive和weigh提示所填内容应与照相机的使用、价格和重量有关。本空答案为Equivalent German models tend to be heavier and slightly less easy to use。

第三招： 根据前后句意推测空格处内容 句与句之间在语义上要保持连贯，考生要学会利用空格前后的句意对所缺句子可能表达的含义进行推测。

【例3】 (07?6?44)(41) Accustomed to seeing A?s and B?s on high school report cards, they may be upset when their children?s first (42) semester college grades are below that level.At their kindest, they may gently (43) inquire why John or Mary isn?t doing better, whether he or she is trying as hard as he or she should, and so on. (44).

【解析】空前是说父母们习惯了看到孩子高中时成绩单上的A?s和B?s，所以当孩子大学第一学期的成绩低于高中时的水平时，他们就会变得十分恼火。如果他们比较亲切，他们可能会问孩子为什么没有考好，是否尽了力。根据前面所说内容不难推断，所填句很可能是要讲如果父母不亲切时，他们可能会做的事。所填句的开头应是at their kindest的反义短语。本空答案为At their worst, they may threaten to take their children out of college or cut off funds。

第四招： 明确代词的指代关系

空格后面句子中的代词往往指代空格所在句中出现过的词，因此要学会利用空格后句子的内容明确该代词的指代内容，从而推测空格句所陈述的内容。

【例4】(04?6?S9)

Today, three buildings hold the library?s collection. (S9) . It buys some of its books and gets others as gifts.

【解析】空前是关于图书馆藏书的重购，空后介绍了藏书的来源，故所缺部分应该也是介绍图书馆藏书的相关情况。根据句意，空后的it应是代指the library，故所缺句子的主语应为the library。本空答案为The library provides books and materials to the US Congress and also lends books to other American libraries, government agencies and foreign libraries。

第五招： 学会记录关键词由于句子结构比较复杂，而且时间有限，只凭记忆写要点，往往容易出现疏漏和犯错误。因此，考生一定要学会记录关键词。 首先，要学会使用缩略语。缩略语不一定要求规范，甚至可用些符号，所记内容不一定要求完整，只要能起到提示作用，自己能看懂就行了。这里的基本要求是快速、省时并能表达含义。 其次，要有选择地记笔记。英语中实词具有表意功能，而虚词多具语法功能，因此所记词应以实词为主。 最后，重点记录句子的主干。考生应重点记录句子主干或中心词，在记下主干的前提下尽可能记全信息。 需要注意的是，这些技巧尽管能够帮助考生提高答题的准确度，但只注重技巧而忽视实践练习也不会取得很好的成绩，因此，必须把两者有机地结合起来。

即讲即练

Exercise 1

What is your (36) color? Do you like yellow, orange, or red? If you do you must be an (37) , a leader. Do you prefer grays and blues? Then you are (38) quiet, shy, and you would rather follow than lead. You tend to be a pessimist. At least, this is what (39) tell us, and they should know, because they have been seriously studying the meaning of color (40) , as well as the effect that colors have on human beings. They tell us, among

other facts, that we do not (41) our favorite color as we grow up — we are born with our preference. If you happen to love brown, you did so as soon as you opened your eyes, or at least as soon as you could see clearly.Colors do (42) our moods — there is no doubt about it. A yellow room makes most people feel more (43) and more relaxed than a dark green one; and a red dress brings warmth and cheer to the saddest winter day. On the other hand, black is depressing. A black bridge over the Thames River, near London, (44) —until it was repainted green. The number of suicide attempts immediately fell sharply; perhaps (45) .Light and bright colors make people not only happier but more active. It is an established fact that factory workers work better, harder, and

(46) .

Exercise 2

Generally, time management refers to the (36) of processes and tools that (37) efficiency and

(38) .In business, time management has morphed into everything from methodologies such as Enterprise Resource Planning through (39) services such as Professional Organizers.When we think of time management, however, we tend to think of (40) time management, loosely defined as managing our time to waste less on doing the things we have to do, so we have more time to do the things we want to do.Therefore, time management is often thought of or (41) as a set of time management skills; the theory is that once we (42) the time management skills, we?ll be more

organized, efficient, and happier.Personal time management skills include goal setting, planning, prioritizing, decision?making, delegating, and (43) .Many people find that time management tools, such as PIM software and PDAs, help them manage their time more effectively. For instance,

(44) .Whether (45) , however, the first step in effective time management is (46) .

Exercise 3In the last 500 years, nothing about people — their clothes, ideas, or (36) — has changed as much as what they eat. The (37) chocolate drink was made from the seeds of the cocoa tree by South American Indians. The Spanish (38) it to the rest of the world during the 1500s. Although it was very expensive, it quickly became (39) . In London, shops where chocolate drinks were (40) became important meeting places. Some still exist today.The potato is also from the New World. Around 1600, the Spanish brought it from Peru to Europe, where it soon was

(41) grown. Ireland became so (42) on it that thousan(来自:WwW.ZHaOqt.nEt 蒲公英文 摘:四级短文听写)ds of Irish people (43) when the crop failed during the “Potato Famine” of 1845-1846, and thousands more were forced to immigrate to America.(44) . But some others went in the opposite direction. Brazil is now the World?s largest grower of coffee, and coffee is an important crop in Colombia and other South American countries. But it is native to Ethiopia. It was first made into a drink by Arabs during the 1400s.According to an Arabic legend, (45) . He tried one and experienced the “wide?awake” feeling (46) .

Exercise 4Everybody wants to get wealthy. In today?s (36) world, making money or becoming wealthy (37) a person?s success and capability. Many people just make every (38) , pay any price to attain greater wealth. With money, they can buy nice, large (39) in nice

neighborhoods; with money they can own stately (40) cars. Wealth seems to bring all happiness in life.But is wealth the only (41) to happiness? Not really. There are many things in the world which are beyond the means of money, such as friendship, love, health and (42) . Many people are so preoccupied with (43) for money that they have no time or would not take the time to form or maintain friendship. (44) , even if they accumulate tremendous wealth?(45) . What money will bring you depends on your personal belief and goal in life. If you are kind enough to help others, especially the poor, money is a good thing for you. With it, (46) . If you want money just for your own needs, you?ll never be satisfied or happy. In a word, only if you are generous can money be the source of your happiness.

【答案与解析】

Exercise 1

【听力原文】

What is your (36) favorite color? Do you like yellow, orange, or red? If you do you must be an (37) optimist, a leader. Do you prefer grays and blues? Then you are (38) probably quiet, shy, and you would rather follow than lead. You tend to be a pessimist. At least, this is what (39) psychologists tell us, and they should know, because they have been seriously studying the meaning of color (40) preference, as well as the effect that colors have on human beings. They tell us, among other facts, that we do not (41) choose our favorite color as we grow up — we are born with our preference. If you happen to love brown, you did so as soon as you opened your eyes, or at least as soon as you could see clearly.

Colors do (42) influence our moods— there is no doubt about it. A yellow room makes most people feel more (43) cheerful and more relaxed than a dark green one; and a red dress brings warmth and cheer to the saddest winter day. On the other hand, black is depressing. A black bridge over the Thames River, near London, (44) used to be the scene of more suicides than any other

bridge in the area — until it was repainted green. The number of suicide attempts immediately fell sharply; perhaps (45) it would have fallen even more if the bridge had been done in pink or baby blue.

【答案解析】

36. 空前的形容词性物主代词your及空后名词color提示，所填词应为形容词，后一句中Do you like yellow…?提示本句可能是问你“最喜欢的”颜色是什么，favorite意为“最喜欢的”。

37. 空前的不定冠词an提示所填词应该是一个以元音因素开头的单数名词。再联系上下文可知，所填词应与后文中的pessimist(悲观主义者)构成反义复现关系，因此所填词应为optimist，意为“乐观主义者”。

38. 分析句子结构可知，该句不缺少句子主干，所填词位于形容词quiet, shy之前，可能为副词作状语。probably意为“可能”。

39. 分析句子结构可知，所填词在what引导的表语从句中作主语，且谓语动词为tell动词原形，故所填词为名词复数。联系上文可知，告诉我们颜色喜好与人格之间的关系等内容的人应该是心理学家。psychologist意为“心理学家”。

40. 联系前文，前面内容是说人们对颜色的喜好，此处也应该是讲他们一直在努力研究颜色喜好(color preference)，此处color为名词作定语。preference意为“喜好”。

41. 空前的助动词否定形式do not提示，所填词应为动词原形。choose意为“选择”。

42. 分析句意可知，do在句子中不作谓语动词，而是起强调作用，故所填词应为动词原形。后文中说一间黄色的房间会比深绿色的更容易使人放松及红色的裙子会给人温暖等，可见这里是在强调颜色会“影响”我们的情绪。influence意为“影响”。

43. and连接并列结构，故所填词应为形容词，与relaxed构成并列关系，且应表示积极向上的意义。cheerful意为“愉悦的”。

44. 前一句通过On the other hand来表示对比，相对于yellow和red等暖色调来说，black使人感到压抑(depressing)。然后本句以伦敦泰晤士河上的一座黑漆大桥为例，说明这一观点。所填句子应为该座黑漆大桥使人压抑的具体表现。

【Main Points】used to be a place which had witnessed most suicides in the area

45. 空前部分说在这座大桥被漆成绿色以后，试图自杀的人数大量减少。句中分号及perhaps提示所填句子应该是对这一情况的进一步说明。Light and bright colors make people not only happier but more active. It is an established fact that factory workers work better, harder, and (46) have fewer accidents when their machines are painted orange rather than black or grey.

【Main Points】it would have fallen more sharply if the bridge had been painted pink or baby blue

46. 前一句说较浅、较明亮的颜色不仅能使人心情愉悦且更积极向上。本句以工人在工厂工作为例说明这一观点。and连接并列结构，本句已给部分表示工人工作更积极，所填句子也应表示积极的含义。

【Main Points】suffer fewer accidents if the machines are painted orange instead of black or grey Exercise 2

【听力原文】

Generally, time management refers to the (36) development of processes and tools that (37) increase efficiency and (38) productivity.In business, time management has morphed into everything from methodologies such as Enterprise Resource Planning through (39) consultant services such as Professional Organizers.

When we think of time management, however, we tend to think of (40) personal time management, loosely defined as managing our time to waste less on doing the things we have to do, so we have more time to do the things we want to do.

四级短文听写篇二：外研社四级段落听写文本

1. Mourning to the Earthquake

The Chinese State Council declared a three-day period of national mourning for the earthquake victims starting from May 19, 2008. The Chinese National Flag and Regional Flags of Hong Kong SAR and Macao SAR were raised at half mast. At 14: 28 on Ｍay 19, 2008, a week after the earthquake, the Chinese public observed silence to express mourning; vehicles, vessels, trains, and air-defense alarms sounded, followed by a 3-minute silence. The Ningbo Organizing Committee of Beijing Olympic torch relay announced that the relay will be suspended for these three days. All websites and newspapers printed in black and white on May 19. During three days of national mourning ordered by the government, public entertainment was cancelled. Across the country, sirens and horns wailed; people fell silent. China Central Television darkened its screen. In the headquarters of the Beijing Organizing Committee for the Olympic Games, more than 200 employees gathered in front of their office building, facing southwest, towards Sichuan, in a silent tribute.

2. Social Insect

Social insects live in integrated communities which in some ways are similar to human communites. In both types of community there is a division of labour. In insect societies certain insects are responsible for reproduction; the workers collect food while the soldiers defend the colony. In the same way human groups such as farmers and shopkeepers have specialized functions in producing goods and providing services to the community.

Insect and human societies are also alike in that individual members of the commmunity work together. Ants coordinate their efforts to build nests. Similarly, in human societies engineers, architects, town planners and construction workers unite to build cities.

The nests of social insects are as complex as a man-made city. In some insect nests special accommodation is provided for the young and for food storage. Many nests also have devices for regulating the temperature. So insect nests are as functional as human houses.

3. Buckingham House

Buckingham House was built for the Duke of Buckingham in the 18th century. However, it became a royal residence in 1775 when George III bought it. His son, George IV, began the reconstruction of the house, which was not finished until the time of Queen Victoria who was the first queen to live there. Today, the Queen?s home is officially called Buckingham Palace, although many Londones still call it Buck House. When the Queen is in residence, a flag called the Royal Standard flies at the top of a pole. The palace is guarded by sentries of the Guards Division. The guards are changed in the morning in the forecourt behind the railings. The ceremony is always very popular with tourists, who take many photographs, mainly because it is so colorful. The new guard marches behind a band and the ceremony usually lasts half an hour.

4. Dolphins

Dolphins are social animals. Many of them even enjoy being around humans. In addition to being playful, they are helpful to men. For example, as early as 400 BC, the Greek

poet Aron was saved from drowning by a dolphon. Even since then, dolphins have been helping swimmers who are in trouble. Swimmers, however, are not the only humans they help. In some parts of the world, they help men catch fish.

Dolphins are very clever. A dolphin?s brain is even larger than a human brain. Therefore, some people think a dolphin must be smarter than a man. But of course, brain size is not the only measure of cleverness. Besides, measuring dolphin?s cleverness in other ways is not possible since men cannot talk with them. But we can almost be sure that dolphins can talk with each other. They make different sounds which seem to be at least a form of language.

5. Advertising

Advertising has become a very specialized activity in modern times. In the business world of today, supply is usually greater than demand. There is great competition between different manufacuturers 厂商of the same kind of product to persuade customers to buy their particular brands. They always have to remind the customers of the names and qualities of their products.

They do this by advertising. The manufacturer advertisers in the newspaper and on posters. He employs attractive sales-girls to distribute分配 samples of their products. Most important of all, in countries that have televisions, he puts advertisements into programmes that will be easy to accept. Manufacturers often spend sums of money on advertisements. We buy a particular product because we think that it is the best. We usually think so because of the advertisements that say so. People never pause to ask themselves if the advertisements are telling the truth.

6. Basketball, Baseball and Football in the US

Basketball is well-known around the world. The American National Basketball Association tournament has become one of the most popular sports events around the world. Professional basketball games in the United States are played indoors during the winter months. From November to April one can find a professional basketball game several nights a week in most large American cities. Baseball is an American sport. It has been called the national pass-time. The game is played in the evenings, nearly everyday of the week. The season begins in April and finishes with the world series in October. Football has become the most popular professional sport in the US. It is played on Sundays during the fall and winter from August to Janurary. American football is different from international football, which Americans call soccer. Both games require strength and specialized skills. Professional athletes are very well paid. The most famous athletes make millions of dollars for their playing skills. America?s best athletes have higher salaries than the country?s President.

7. Unidentified Flying Objects

There are many explanations for why UFOs visit the earth. The most popular one is that they may contain visitors from other planets. To fly such an aircraft, their builders must develop different forms of aviation, because they seem to fly much faster than normal aircraft. The UFOs, it is believed, must contain scientists from other planets who are studying life on earth. It is even believed that several such aircraft may have landed on earth and the space visitors may be living amongst us. But there are also less fantastic explanations available. Although some sights of

UFOs are difficult to explain, most can be explained quite easily. In many cases the observers might have made a mistake. They might have seen a weather balloon or an aircraft. Or the light they saw in the sky might have been light from the ground, reflected on to the clouds. However, the exact cause of many sights still remains a mystery.

8. Prices of the Houses

The price of a house depends on its size and location. Big houses are more expensive than smaller ones, and houses closer to the center of big cities are more expensive thatn ones in the suburbs or in small towns. Regardless of the cost, it is usual for people to buy their houses over a period fo time. When a family buys a house, it is necessary to borrow money from a bank to pay for it. Then they repay the bank in regualr payments. Families can take 30 years to pay off the loan. Without a loan it would be impossible for most people to own their houses. Many Americans do not own their own homes, they pay landlords房东 to live in their homes. The money they pay for this is called rent. Usually, it is cheaper to rent than to buy. Also when something needs to be repaired, it is easy for the renter to ask the landlord to fix it. Some people rent houses, but most renters live in apartments. Apartment buildings are located in cities where it is too costly to build houses.

9. Tobacco

American Indians grew and smoked tobacco before Columbus come to America. The Tobacco industry has been large and important for America?s economy ever since colonial farmers grew tobacco for export 300 years ago. Even today tobacco is grown in large quantities along America?s Eastern Coast. Since the 1800?s, the most common form of smoking tobacco is cigarettes. Men and women of all ages smoke cigarettes and there are dozens of brands sold in the US. Nearly all cigarettes now sold have filters. Pipe smoking had some popularity and cigars are usually only smoked by older men. Over the past 30 years, many people have stopped smoking. This movement keeping away from cigarettes began when lung cancer and other ailments were linked to smoking. In the 1970?s when taxes on cigarettes were greatly increased, cigarette smoking became much more expensive. Since the late 1970?s, physical fitness has become a major aim of millions of Americans. These three factors have been the major causes for many people to stop smoking.

10. Characteristics of a Good Reader

To cultivate your reading habits, you must understand the charateristics of a good reader. First, a good reader usually reads rapidly. Of course, he does not read every piece of material at the same rate. But whether he is reading a newspaper or a chapter in a physical text, his reading rate is relatively fast. He has learned to read for ideas rather than words one at a time. Next, a good reader can recognize and understand general ideas and specific details. Thus he is able to comprehend the material with a minimum of effort and a maximum of interest. Finally, a good reader has in his command several special skills, which he can apply to solving reading problems as they occur. For the college students, the most helpful of these skills include making use of the various aids to understanding that most text books provide and skim-reading for a general survey. In any way, cultivating a good habit of reading is significant to promote your reading efficiency.

11. Every artist knows in his heart that he is saying something to the public. Not only does he want to say it well, but he wants it to be something which has not been said before.

What visual artists, like painters, want to say is easy to make out but difficult to explain, because painters translate their experiences into shapes and colors, not words. They seem to feel that a certain selection of shapes and colors, out of the countless billions of possible, is exceptionally interesting for them and worth showing to us.

Most artists take their shapes and colors from the world of nature and from human bodies in motion and response; their choices indicate that these aspects of the world are worth looking at, that they contain beautiful sights. Contemporary artists might say that they merely choose subjects that provide an interesting pattern, that there is nothing more in it. Yet even they do not choose entirely without reference to the character of their subjects.

12. How High Can You Jump?

Flea traies 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 again. As you watch them jump and hit the lid, something very interetsting becomes obvious. The fleas continue to jump, but they are no longer jumping high enough to hit the top.

When you take off the lid, the fleas continue to jump, but they will not jump out of the box. They will not jump out because they cannot jump out. Why? The reason is simple. They have conditioned themselves to jump just so high. Once they have conditioned themselves to jump just so high, that is all they can do!

Many times, people do the same thing. They restrict themselves and never reach their potential. Just like the fleas, they fail to jump higher, thinking they are doing all they can do.

13.Sleep

Why is it so difficult to fall asleep when you are overtired? There is no one answer that apllies to every individual. It is possible to 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 properly. When you get less sleep than that on three consecutive nights, you begin to accrue for 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 stimulated. “Power sleeping” for more hours on weekends is only a temporary solution. There is no substitute for getting a good night?s sleep on a regular basis.

14. Automobiles

It 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 themselves. But together they were important. Here are two examples.

Carriage is running at a speed of eight to nine 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 machine reportedly burned up while the inventor and his friends were celebrating its success at a pub.

Hey Ford is considered the father of modern automobile mass production. The low price of his famous Model-T car, made it possible to produce cars on a large scale and accessible to ordiay people.

15. The American Revolution

The American Revolution is regarded by military historians as a war Britain should never have lost. Many colonists were half-hearted about the conflict. Others thought of themselves as Englishmen misused by other Englishmen, and had no wish to kill their cousins. There were also many loyalists, some of whom fled to Canada, while others joined British regiments in America.

The British, too, were divided. It was a war which inspired patriotism. In the British Parliament there was a fierce opposition to the war from a powerful minority led by Edmund Burke. Burke tole the House of Commons that he was not interested in what the law told him he could do, but in what humanity reason and justice told him he should do. Thomas

Jefferson, one of the greatest rebel leaders, said: “We might have been a free and great people together.” But the British Government of that time was obstinate and stupid, and King George III had such an influence on affairs that it has been called “The King?s War”.

16. The Attraction of a Bookstore

This opportunity to escape the realities of everyday life is the main attraction of a bookstore. There are not many places where it is possible to do this. A music shop is very much like a bookstore.

You can wander round such places to your heart?s content. If it is a good shop, no assistant will approach you with the inevitable greeting: “Can I help you, sir?” You needn?t buy anything you don?t want. In a bookshop an assistant should remain in the background until you have finished browsing. Of course, you may want to find out where a particular section is, but when hw has led you there, the assistant should retire discreetly and look as if he is not interested in selling a single book.

You have to be very careful with the variety of the books in the bookstore. It is very easy to enter the shop for a book on ancient coins and to come out carrying a copy of the lasted best-selling novel.

17. Geography

Geography is the study of the relationship between people and the land. Geographers compare and contrast various places on the earth. But they also go beyond the individual places and consider the earth as a whole. The word geography comes from two Greek words. The English word geograph means to describe the earth. Some geography books focus on a small area like a town and a city. Others deal with the whole earth. Another way to divide the study of geography is to distinguish between physical geography and cultural geography. The former focuses on the natural world; the latter starts with human beings and studies how human beings and their environment act upon each other. But when geography is considered as a single subject, neither branch can neglect the other.

18. The Library of Congress

The Library of Congress

The Library of Congress is the national library of the United States. / It was founded in 1800 to serve the needs of the congressmen. / Today, it contains books, articles and documents on every subject imaginable. / Besides senators, congressmen and other government officials, / it serves libraries, researchers, artists and scientists throughout the country and the world. /

The Library is one of the largest libraries in the world. / It has a collection of 74 million items which are housed in three buildings. / The bookshelves stretch for 350 miles. / Of the 18 million books, more than half are in languages other than English. /

The main reading room is a great hall of marble pillars. / It is the center of activity in the library. / There is a computer catalog center with six terminals for quick access to information. / For greater speed and efficiency, / the library has installed an electric book – carrying system / that carries books from one building to another in only a few seconds. / (160 words)

19. Suicide

In ancient tiems suicide was considered a heroic way of dealing with an impossible life situation. But over the years, the social , religious , and legal reactions to suicide have changed. At first it was accepted as a natural event; then it was condemned by the church; next it was defined as a criminal act; and finally it was described as a product of mental derangement. For centuries the suicide of religious martyrs was glorifed as an example of dedication to the highest of principles. Later, there was an attempt to design a variety of punishments. The dead people ?s property might be confiscated; they might be denied an honorable burial; or they might be hanged for the crime of suicide. In extreme cases, the body of suicide might be dismembered. The offending hand was buried in one place and the body was buried in another to separate murderer from victim.

20. Go

四级短文听写篇三：大学英语四级考试短文听写题型破题技巧

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大学英语四级考试短文听写题型破题技巧

来源：文都教育

大学英语四级考试的短文听写部分在教育部题型改革之后，单词占7个左右，词组或短语占3个左右，单词和短语交替设置，整体难度下降了。但是，在题型难度下降之后，我们该如何以更高的成绩来拿下这个题型呢？今天，文都的大学英语四级考试听力辅导名师团队将为大家带来最实用的短文听写解题技巧，希望能住帮助考试在平时的练习及真正的考试中，取得良好的成绩。

首先，考生要学会通过卷面文字捕捉信息，找出线索，了解文章主旨。听写材料多为说明文，这一体裁的文章具有主题突出、条理清楚、层次分明、语言简洁、逻辑性强等特点。文章的开头或段首多半有主题句，之后的段落和句子都是针对主题句展开的。考生应该利用一切机会浏览短文，尤其要专注主题句，根据主题句来预测文章的发展线索和大意。一般来说，听写的文章都具有一致性和连贯性的特点，考生通过浏览文章总会搜索到一些有参考价值的信息。

其次，听、写要结合，这样才能做到双管齐下。第一遍全文朗读，要求考生注意听懂文章大意。由于在听录音之前考生已经预览了卷面文字，对听力材料有了大致的了解，因此，在听第一遍录音时，考生可以填写一些简单的单词和词组。在听第二遍录音时，应该能完整地记录剩下的单词和词组。

再次，考生应该学会巧妙地使用缩略语。如何在有限的时间内记录下更多的内容？使用缩略语是必须的。当听写的单词较长或者为词组时，可以在第一遍听录音时先写下单词的前几个字母或词组中的某个词，听第二遍、第三遍时再将其补充完整。这样做既省时，又高效。

最后，考生在填完所有的空格之后，要注意检查、核对内容要点。第三遍朗读是供考生进行核对使用的。核对是最后必不可少的环节，考生应抓住时机弥补前两遍听录音时所忽略和遗漏的内容，进一步修改和完善自己的答案。在核对时，对于一些空缺，考生仅凭辨音难以准确地判断出其为何词，此时考生可以从上下文语法和语境等多个角度去推测、分析和判断，最终正确地拼写出这些单词和短语。

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