2008年6月英语四级听力全真模拟试下载第2套:Section B

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Passage Two

　　Crime has its own cycles, a magazine reported some years ago. Police records show a surprising relation between changes in the season and crime patterns.　　

　　The pattern of crime has changed very little over a long period of years. Murder reaches its high during July and August, as do other violent attacks. Murder, in addition, is more than seasonal; it is a weekend crime. It is also a nighttime crime: 62 percent of murders are committed between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m. One is most likely to be robbed between 6 p.m. and 2 a.m. on a Saturday night in December, January, or February. Except for one strange statistic, May is the least criminal month of all. 　　

　　Apparently our intellectual season cycles are completely different from our criminal patterns. Professor Huntington made a lot of studies to discover the seasons when people read serious books, attend scientific meetings, and make the highest scores on examinations. In all examples, he found a spring peak and an autumn peak separated by a summer low. On the other hand, Professor Huntington’s studies showed that June is the peak month for suicides and for admitting patients to mental hospital. June is also a peak month for marriages!　　

　　Possibly, high temperature and humidity bring on our strange and surprising summer actions, but police officers are not so sure. “There are, of course, no proof of a relation between humidity and murder”, they say. “Why murder’s high time should come in the summer time we really don’t know”.

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

　　29. What is the passage mainly about?
　　【解析】选[D]。根据选项的概括性强、信息密集可知，本题考查短文主旨。文章开头的Police records show a surprising relation between changes in the season and crime patterns为短文主题句，故[D]为答案。

　　30. Which is the safest season?
　　【解析】选[B]。文章明确提到May is the least criminal month of all，表明五月是犯罪率最低的月份，也就是说五月最安全，故选项[B]正确。

　　31. What did Professor Huntington’s research show?
　　【解析】选[C]。推断题。文章讲到，Professor Huntington调查人们读严肃小说、出席科技会议和考试得高分的季节，所有数据表明在春季和秋季是高峰，而夏季却是低峰，排除[B]、[D]；另外短文中听到June出现最多的地方提到了两个peak, 他们分别是自杀和医院接收精神病患者数目最高峰以及结婚的高峰，由此可以排除[A]项，得出答案[C]。
Passage Three
　　Despite the presence of workaholics, there is a growing realization in the United States that too much work demand can be physically and mentally hamp3ful. Many people have been rebelling against the work ethic, saying that no job is so important as to damage personal relationships and rob people of relaxation. There has been a shift in values, with more emphasis being given to personal relationships and relaxation. Leisure time provides opportunities to find personal satisfaction and freedom from the routine of work.

　　Increased leisure time in the United States has not altered the idea that work and play are distinct activities. This distinction is clear-cut; there are “work-hours” and “afterwork-hours”. There is a belief that it is desirable “to work hard and play hard” and undesirable to combine the two. In many offices, stores, and factories socializing among employees is discouraged. An employee under pressure at work often cannot afford to respond to social calls and visits. However, the amount of personal contact on the job depends on the nature of the work. There may be more social interaction between teachers in a school than between scientists doing independent research. Nevertheless, work and play are usually perceived and maintained as separate activities.
　　Questions 32 to 35 are based on the passage you have just heard.
　　32. What is the result of too much work demand?
　　【解析】选[C]。本文开头就说too much work demand can be physically and mentally hamp3ful(工作量过大在体力上和脑力上都是有害的)，即[C]。

　　33. In order to rebel against the work ethic, what do many people believe now?
　　【解析】选[B]。文中claiming(宣称)即表明人们是这样认为(believe)的，no job is so important as to...表明工作并不是最重要的，人们应该多注意与人的交往和放松自己，即[B]。

　　34. What do people expect an employee under pressure at work to do?
　　【解析】选[B]。这个例子出现在to work hard and play hard这个概念被引出之后，文中原话说：处于工作重压下的职员是不能进行社交拜访活动(意即休闲)的，与[B]表达的意思是一样的。

　　35. What does the speaker imply by saying “the distinction is clear-cut”?
　　【解析】选[A]。文中clear-cut一词出现前有work and play are distinct (不同的) activities，之后又出现了work-hours and afterwork-hours和 to work hard and play hard等词句，均说明美国人认为工作和休闲是截然分开的。