Part I Dictation
The Wristwatch
It is generally believed that wristwatches are an exception / to the normal sequence in the evolution of man's jewelry. / Reversing the usual order, they were first worn by women, / and then adopted by men. / In the old days, queens included wrist watches among their crown jewelry. / Later, they were worn by Swiss workers and farmers. / Until World War I, Americans associated the watch with fortune hunters. / Then army officers discovered that the wrist watch was most practical for active combat. / Race car drivers also loved to wear wrist watches, / and pilots found them most useful while flying. / Soon men dared to wear wrist watches without feeling self-conscious. / By 1924, some 30 percent of man's watches were worn on the wrist. / Today, the figure is 90 percent. / And they are now worn by both men and women / for practical purposes rather than for decoration.
Part II Listening Comprehension
SECTION A  CONVERSATIONS
Conversation One
W:  Good morning.  Sit down, please, Mr Johnson.
M:  Thank you, Ma'am.
W:  I've read your letter here. You seem to have done very well at school. Can you tell me something about your school work?
M:  As you can see, my strongest subjects were arts subjects. My best subject was history, and my second best was geography (Ql). However, my favorite subject was maths and the results I got in the maths paper were quite reasonable.
W:  That's true. Now can you tell me why you think these subjects will help you in this job?
M:  Well, Ma'am, I understand that you manufacture computers, prepare software, and advise clients on how to use them. Is that right?
W:  That's right.
M:  And I've been told that working with computers needs a logical mind (Q2) rather than great skills in mathematics. That's especially true, I believe, when it comes to writing programs. So I think my results show that I have some ability in logic, and in mathematics as well.
W:  So you would like to write materials for computers, wouldn't you?
M:  Yes, Ma'am. That's what interests me most about computers, writing programs (Q3). But I think the computer industry itself is still expanding enormously. I'm sure that career prospect in this industry would be very good no matter what sort of job I went into.
W:  I see. Well, thank you! I've enjoyed our talk. We'll be writing to you.
M:  Thank you,Ma'am. Good morning.
Conversation Two
W:  Excuse me. Could I ask you some questions?
M:  Of course.
W:  I work for an advertising agency, and I'm doing some research. It's for a new magazine for people like you (Q4). M; People like me. What do you mean? W: People between 25 and 35 years old. M: OK.
W:  Right. What do you do at the weekend?
M:  Well, on Fridays my wife always goes to her exercise class. Then she visits friends. W: Don't you go out?
M:  Not on Fridays. I never go out on Fridays. I stay at home and watch television (Q5).
W:  And on Saturdays?
M:  On Saturdays my wife and I always go sailing together(Q6). W: Really?
M:  H... mmm. We love it. We never miss it. And then in the evening we go out (Q6).
W:  Where to?
M:  Different places. We sometimes go to see friends, we sometimes go to the cinema or restaurant, but we always go out on Saturday evenings.
W:  I see. And now Sunday. What happens on Sundays?
M:  Nothing special. We often go for a walk, and I always cook a big Sunday lunch.
W:  Oh.  How often do you do the cooking?
M:  En... Twice a week, three times a week?
W:  Thank you very much. All I need now are your personal details; your name, job and so on. What's your surname (Q7)?
M:  Robinson.
Conversation Three
M:  Parcel Express. Good morning. How can I help you?
W:  Good morning. I'm thinking of sending a parcel to New York next week. Can you tell me what the procedure is, please?
M:  Certainly. When you ring us, we need the following information;  the invoice address, that's probably your address, isn't it? And then the pickup address if that's different. And contact phone number (Q8).
W: Just a moment. I'm taking notes. Phone number, right.
M:  Then we need the full name, address and phone number of the person you're sending the parcel to.
W:  OK, anything else?
M:  Yes. The weight and dimension of the parcel, that's height, width and length, and the value of the goods and the full description.
W:  ? Description?
M:  Yes, but don't seal that parcel. You need to leave it open so that the driver can check the contents when he collects it. After the recent bombing, the airline said we would have to check all parcels. They told us we had to do it (Q9).
英语四级