M: Well, I always loved racing bikes and fixing them. When I was working full-time as a salesman for a big company, I seldom had time to enjoy my hobby. I knew then that as soon as I had enough money to get my own business going, I’ll do it. I had my heart set on it and I didn’t let anything stand in my way. When I went down to the bank and got a business loan, I knew I’d love being my own boss. Now my time is my own. I open the store when I want and leave when I want。 W:You mean you don’t keep regular hours?
M: Well, the sign on my store says the hours are ten to six, but if business is slower than usual, I can just lock up and take off early。 W: Had you hired any employees to work with you yet?
M: Yeah, a couple of friends of mine who love biking as much as I do. They help me out a few days a week. It’s great because we play cards or just sit around and talk when there are no customers.
W: Thank you, Mr. Kayne. We wish you success in your new business。 Q19.what is the woman doing?
Q20.What did Mr. Kayne do before he took over the bicycle shop? Q21.Why did the man take over a bicycle shop?
Q22.What do we learn about the people working in the shop? 答案： 19. D 20. A 21. B 22. A
Conversation 2
W: Well, the main activities in the region were historically steel and paper processing, I think。
M: Yes, but I’m not quite sure about the status of those industries now. Could you tell us something about that?
W: Yes, of course. In fact, they are less significant, but steel-related manufacturing still accounts for 44% of industrial activity. So it’s still very important. In fact, 80% of Spain’s machine tools are from the Basque country. As for paper processing, there’s still a little. But it’s no longer what it once was in the region. So, is that clear? M: Yes, thanks。
W: Now, to get back to what I was saying, there’s a lot of unemployment as well as geographical problems in the region。
M: Sorry, Victoria. What do you mean by geographical problems?
W: Well, what I mean is the area is very hilly, mountainous in parts. So there used to be transport problems, now though there are new train links and better roads, but it may be that some smaller towns inland remain not very well connected, is that OK? Does that make sense? When we talk about specific location suggestions for the factory, we’ll see this in more detail, so we’ll come back to this question, OK? M: OK, right。
W: So I was about to say something about the work force in the region and the level of training and education. In general, it’s very good and improving。 Question 23-25 are based on the conversation you have just heard。
23. What does the woman say about the steel-related manufacturing in the region? 24. What problems hinder the region’s development? 25. What will the speakers discuss later? 答案： 23. B 24. C 25. C
Part III Listening Comprehension 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 centre。 答案 Passage one
Q26: B. They had known each other since childhood Q27: B. At Joe’s house
Q28: A. Social divisions will break down if people get to know each other。 Passage two
Q29: A. In his building’s parking lot Q30: A. It had been stolen by someone Q31: B. In the city garage Passage three
Q32: D. The mysteriousness of creativity Q33: A. It is the source of all artistic work Q34: D. Creative imagination Q35: A. It is part of everyday life 复合式听写 【答案】 36. calculators 37. handle 38. items 39. Responding 40. emergencies 41. rarely
42. occur 43. murders
44. there have been hundreds of thefts and cases of deliberate damaging of public property
45. Things get stolen when it is easy to steal them because they are left lying around unwatched
46. A better way to solve this problem might be for all of us to be more careful with our things
深度阅读 47. E. domestic 48. C. communities 49. O. survive 50. H. gather 51. M. serves 52. N. surroundings 53. J. recession 54. K. reported 55. I. households 56. F. financially
57. In the initial stage, the current economic crisis is likely to _______。
A. tear many troubled families apart B. bring about a drop in the divorce rate C. cause a lot of conflicts in the family D. contribute to enduring family ties
58. In the Great Depression many unhappy couples chose to stick together because _______
A. starting a new family would be hard B. they wanted to better protect their kids C. living separately would be too costly D. they expected things would turn better
59. In addition to job losses, what stands in the way of unhappy couples getting a divorce?
A. A sense of insecurity。 B. Mounting family debts。 C. Difficulty in getting a loan。 D. Falling housing prices。
60. What will the current economic crisis eventually do to married couples? A. It will force them to pull their efforts together。 B. It will undermine their mutual understanding。 C. It will irreparably damage their relationship。 D. It will help strengthen their emotional bonds。 61. What can be inferred from the last paragraph?
A. A stable family is the best protection against poverty。 B. Money is the foundation of many a happy marriage。 C. Few couples can stand the test of economic hardships。 D. The economic recovery will see a higher divorce rate。 【点评】：这篇文章来源于2009年5月的《纽约时报》(原文地址：http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/29/opinion/29cherlin.html
)，题目为Married With Bankruptcy。这里有删减。文章分析了经济危机给夫妇带来的影响，指出经济危机不会提高离婚率并分析了几个原因，如夫妇无法承担离婚的成本，房价下降等等。文章最后三段指出虽然不会离婚，但夫妻的这种关系也不会维持太久，经济危机的考验要到经济复苏时期才能显现出来。
2012年6月份四级考试真题（附带答案解析、听力原文）
