英語四級考試培訓網

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2011英語四級考試聽力部分綜合指導(三十四)

來源：育路教育網發布時間：2011-09-27

　　Passage One
　　The water clock was an ancient clock. It could be used on cloudy days, at night, and indoors. Such clocks were probably first used in Egypt about 2,000 B.C. They were also used for many years in Arabia, India, China, and all of Europe.
　　The simplest water clock needed just two parts—a small bowl and a large bowl. The small bowl had a tiny hole in the bottom; the large bowl was divided into equal parts and marked by lines. Water was poured into the small bowl, and it fell slowly down into the large bowl in tiny drops. Usually it took an hour for the water to rise from one line to the next in the large bowl.
　　A beautiful water clock was made in Persia over a thousand years ago. It was presented as a gift to the Emperor of France. This water clock could be heard as well as seen. The dial of the clock was made up of twelve doors, each representing an hour. Every hour a door opened, and the proper number of metal balls dropped onto a thin brass plate to strike the hour. At twelve o'clock, twelve tiny horsemen came out and shut all the doors. This was probably one of the first striking clocks.
　　Questions 11 to 13 are based on the passage you have just heard.
　　11. When was the first water clock probably made?
　　12. What do we know about the structure of the simplest water clock?
　　13. What did the striking water clock use to strike hours?
　　Passage Two
　　The two most famous faces in Britain today belong to two women who appear on television almost every night. If you open any popular magazine or newspaper you'll almost certainly see an article about one of them, with lots of photographs. Their names are Susan Rippon and Anna Ford. Susan reads the 9 o'clock news on BBC Television, and Anna reads the 10 o'clock news on Independent Television.
　　Most news announcers on British television are men, and when Susan began her job at the BBC three years ago, she was the first woman news announcer. Newspapers and magazines started to take an interest in her and reporters started to write about her. Last year, Independent Television also decided to have a woman news announcer and they chose Anna Ford. Newspapers and magazines showed a great interest in her, too.
　　When Anna read the news for the first time on the 10 o'clock programme, millions of people who don't normally watch the programme decided to watch it that night, to see Anna Ford.
　　Questions 14 to 16 are based on the passage you have just heard.
　　14. Why are Susan Rippon and Anna Ford very well-known in Britain?
　　15. When does Anna read the new on TV?
　　16. How do we know that Anna's first appearance on TV was also a big attraction?