2021年6月英语四级听力原文:试卷一完整版

2021年6月英语四级听力原文：试卷一完整版

News report 1

A message in a bottle sent out to sea by a New Hampshire man more

than five decades ago was found 1,500 miles away. And it has been

returned to his daughter. A long-last message was discovered by Clint

Buffington of Utah while he was vacationing. Buffington says he found a

soda bottle half-buried in the sand that looked like it had been there

since the beginning of time. The note inside the bottle said, ‘Return to

419 Ocean Street, and receive a reward of $150 from Richard and Tina

Pierce, owners of a beachcomber motel.’ The motel was owned by the

parents of Paula Piece in 1960. Her father had written the note as a joke

and had thrown it into the Atlantic Ocean. Buffington flew to New

Hampshire to deliver the message to Paula Piece. She held up to her

father’s promise, giving Buffington that reward. But the biggest reward is

the message in the bottle finding its way back home.

Question 1. What is the news report mainly about?

Question 2. Why did Paula Piece give Clint Buffington the reward?

News report 2

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Millions of bees have died in South Carolina during aerial insect spraying

operations that were carried out to combat the Zika virus. The insect

spraying over the weekends left more than 2 million bees dead on the

spot in Dorchester County, South Carolina, where 4 travel-related cases

of Zika disease have been confirmed in the area. Most of the deaths

came from the Flowertown Bee Farm, a company in Summerville that

sells bees and honey products. Juanita Stanley who owns the company

said the farm looks like it’s been destroyed. The farm lost about 2.5

million bees. Dorchester County officials apologized for the accidental

mass killing of bees. Dorchester County is aware that some bee keepers

in the area that were sprayed on Sunday lost their bee colonies, county

manager Jason Wars said in the statement, ‘I’m not pleased that so many

bees were killed’.

Question 3. Why was spraying operations carried out in Dorchester

County?

Question 4. What does news report say about Flowertown Bee Farm?

News report 3

The world’s largest aircraft has taken to the sky for the first time. The

Airlander 10 spent nearly 2 hours in the air, having taken off from

Cardington Airfield in Bedfordshire. During its flight, it reached 3,000 feet

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and performed a series of gentle turns all over a safe area. The aircraft

isn’t massive as long as a football field and as tall as a 6 double-decker

buses and capable of flying for up to 5 days. It was first developed for the

US government as a long-wing spy aircraft. But it was abandoned

following budget cutbacks. The aircraft costs 25 million pounds and can

carry heavier loads than huge jet planes while also producing less noise

and emitting less pollution. The makers believe it’s the future of aircraft,

and one day we’ll be using them to go places. But there’s still a long way

to go. The Airlander will need to have 200 hours flying time before being

allowed to fly by the aviation administration. If it passes through, we can

hope we’ll all get some extra leg room.

Question 5. What do we learn about the first flight of the Airlander 10?

Question 6. What caused the US government to abandon the Airlander

10 as a spy aircraft?

Question 7. What is the advantage of Airlander 10 over huge jet planes?

Conversation 1

M: Do you feel like going out tonight?

W: yeah, why not? We haven’t been out for ages! What’s on?

M: Well, there is a film about climate change. Dose it sound good to

you?

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W: Oh, not really. It doesn’t really appeal to me. What’s it about? Just

climate change?

M: I think it’s about how climate change affects everyday life. I wonder

how they make it entertaining.

W: Well, it sounds really awful. It’s an important subject, I agree. But I’m

not in the mood for anything depressing. What else is on?

M: There’s a Spanish dance festival.

W: Oh, I love dance. That sounds really interesting.

M: apparently, it’s absolutely brilliant. Let’s see what it says in the paper.

Anna Gomez leads in an exciting production of a great Spanish love story,

Carmen.

W: Okay then, what time is it on?

M: at 7:30

W: well, that’s no good. We haven’t got enough time to get there. Is

there anything else?

M: There’s a comedy special on.

W: where is it on?

M: It’s at the city theater. It’s a charity comedy night with lots of different

acts. It looks pretty good. The critic in the local paper says it’s the

funniest things he’s ever seen. It says here Roger white head is an

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amazing host to a night a fun performances.

W: Hummm, I’m not keen on him. He is not very funny.

M: Are you sure you fancy going out tonight? You are not very

enthusiastic.

W: Perhaps you are right. Okay, let’s go see the dance. But tomorrow, not

tonight.

M: Great, I’ll book the tickets online.

Q8: What dose the woman think about climate change?

Q9: Why do the speakers give up going to the Spanish dance festival

tonight?

Q10: What dose the credit says about the comedy performed in the city

theater?

Q11: What does the woman decide to do tomorrow?

Conversation 2

W: Good morning Mr. Lee, may I have a minute of your time?

M: Sure, Catherine. What can I do for you?

W: I’m quite anxious about transferring over to your college. I’m afraid I

won’t fit in.

M: Don’t worry, Catherine. It’s completely normal for you to be nervous

about transferring schools. This happens to many transfer students.

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W: Yes, I know, but I’m younger than most students in my year and that

worries me a lot.

M: Well, you may be the only younger one in your year, but you know we

have a lot of afterschool activities you can join in, and so this way, you’ll

be able to meet new friends of different age groups.

W: That’s nice! I love games and hobby groups.

M: I’m sure you do. So you will be just fine. Don’t worry so much and try

to make the most of what we have on offer here. Also, remember you

can come to me any time of the day if you need help. W: Thanks so much.

I definitely feel better now. As a matter of fact, I’ve already contacted

one of the girls who’s been living in the same house with me, and she

seems really nice. I guess living on campus, I’ll have a chance to have a

close circle of friends since we’ll be living together.

M: All students are very friendly with new arrivals. Let me check who

would be living with you in your flat. Okay, there hare Hannah, Kelly and

Bree. Bree is also a new student here like you. I’m sure you two will have

more to share with each other.

Q12: Why does Catherine feel anxious?

Q13: What does Mr. Lee encourage Catherine to do?

Q14: What does Mr. Lee promise to do for Catherine?

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Q15: What do we learn about Catherine's schoolmate Bree?

Passage 1

Have you ever felt like you would do just about anything to satisfy your

hunger? A new study in mice may help to explain why hunger can feel

like such a powerful motivating force. In the study, researchers found

that hunger out weights other physical drives including fear, thirst and

social needs. To determine which feeling won out, the researchers did a

series of experiments. In one experiment, the mice were both hungry

and thirsty. When given the choice of either eating food or drinking

water, the mice went for the food, the researchers found. However,

when the mice were well-fed but thirsty, they opted to drink according to

the study. In the second experiment, meant to pit the mice’s hunger

against their fear, hungry mice were placed in a cage that has certain fox

scented areas and other places that smell safer; in other words, not like

an animal that could eat them but also had food. It turned out that when

the mice were hungry, they ventured into the unsafe areas for food. But

when the mice were well-fed, they stayed in the area of the cage that

were considered safe. Hunger also out weights the mice’s social needs,

the researchers found. Mice are usually social animals and prefer to be in

the company of other mice according to the study. When the mice were

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hungry, they opted to leave the company of other mice to go get food.

Q16: What is the researchers’ purpose in carrying out the series of

experiments with mice?

Q17: In what circumstances do mice venture into unsafe areas?

Q18: What is said about mice at the end of the passage?

Passage 2

The United States has one of the best highway systems in the world.

Interstate highways connect just about every large and mid-sized city in

the country. Did you ever wonder why such a complete system of

excellent roads exists? For an answer, you would have to go back to the

early 1920s. In those years, just after World War I, the military wanted to

build an American highway system for national defense. Such a system

could, if necessary, move troops quickly from one area to another. It

could also get people out of cities and danger of being bombed.

So-called roads of national importance were designated, but they were

mostly small country roads. In 1944, Congress passed a bill to upgrade

the system but did not fund the plan right away. In the 1950s, the plan

began to become a reality. Over 25 billion dollars was appropriated by

Congress, and construction began on about 40 thousand miles of new

roads. The idea was to connect the new system to existing express ways

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and freeways. And though the system was built mostly to make car travel

easier, defense was not forgotten. For instance, highway overpasses have

to be high enough to allow trailers carrying military missiles to pass

under them. By 1974, the system was mostly completed. A few

additional roads would come later. Quick and easy travel between all

parts of the country was now possible.

Q19: What does the speaker say about the American highway system?

Q20: What was the original purpose of building a highway system?

Q21: When was the interstate highway system mostly completed?

Passage 3

Texting while driving was listed as a major cause of road deaths among

young Americans back in 2021. A recent study said that 40% of American

teens claim to have been in a car when the driver used a cellphone in the

way that put people in danger. It sounds like a wide-spread disease, but

it’s one that technology may now help to cure. TJ Evarts, a 20-year-old

inventor, has come up with a novel solution that could easily put texting

drivers on notice. It’s called ‘Smart Wheel’. And it’s a design to fit over

the steering wheel of most standard vehicles to track whether or not the

driver has two hands on the wheel at all times. Evarts’ invention warns

the drivers with a light and a sound when they hold the wheel with one

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hand only. But as soon as they place another hand back on the wheel,

the light turns back to green and the sound stops. It also watches for

what’s called ‘close-by hands’, where both hands are close together near

the top of the wheel, so the driver can type with both thumbs and drive

at the same time. All the data Smart Wheel collects is also sent to a

connected app. So any parent who installs Smart Wheel can keep track

of the teens’ driving habits. If they try to remove or damage the cover

that’s reported as well.

Question 22. What is a major cause of road deaths among young

Americans?

Question 23. What is ‘Smart Wheel’?

Question 24. What happens if the driver has one hand on the wheel?

Question 25. How do parents keep track of their teens’ driving habits?

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