新编四级听力练习 第445期

Passage Two
The northern parts of the United States get very cold in the winter. It snows a great deal and the temperature often goes below zero degrees in January, February and March. But [29]the northeastern and north-central regions of the country have been financial and industrial centers, and they are heavily populated. In recent years, [29]people in these regions have begun to take vacations during these cold winter months. They go to southern parts of the country where it is warmer. Many go to Florida where the weather is tropical. Others go to the southwestern states of Arizona, New Mexico and Texas where they find dry desert climates. It has become common, nowadays, for older people to move south to these places when they retire. [30]Typically these people sell their houses in their home communities and move south to begin a new life as senior citizens. Their children likely have homes of their own, and many of them are moving south away from communities where they were raised. The southern and southwestern parts of the country are now growing faster than any other parts. Business and industry have opened many new offices and factories in the south. California is already the most popular state in the country. [31]Texas and Florida are growing fast too. They may soon replace such states as New York and Pennsylvania in population.

Questions 29 to 31 are based on the passage you have just heard.
29. What does the speaker say about the northern parts of the United States?
正确答案：B
解析：选项可分为两类：某些地区吸引人（A、C）；人们来到或远离这些地区（B、D），且与冬天有关。短文开头大篇幅介绍美国北方的寒冷，人们选择去南方度假，甚至退休后举家南迁。因此答案为B。选项D过于夸大其词。
30. Why do some retirees sell their houses in their home communities?
正确答案：C
解析：短文中间部分提到有些老人退休后会卖掉房子，紧接着说了原因，搬到南方开始新的生活。C中的to begin a new life基本上是听到的原词，in warmer weather是对上下文的同义表达。D项具有一定的干扰性。
31. In which aspect will Texas and Florida surpass New York and Pennsylvania?
正确答案：A
解析：A是尾句听到的与四个地区有关的原词。符合短文听力“听到什么选什么”的解题原则。