2005-2012年专四听写部分原文

The Wrist Watch （2005）

It is generally believed that wrist watches 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.

The internet （2006）

The internet is the most significant progress in the field of communications.Imagine a book that never rend, a library with milion floors,or imagine a research project with thousands of sientists working around the clock forever.This is the magic of the internet.

As the internet has potential for good or bad,one can find where organized information of websites.At the same time,one can also find waste for websites.Most websites are known as different internet of applications.These include online games,check rooms and so on.These applications have great

power,too.Sometimes,the power can be so great.That young people may easily become victims to their attraction.So we need to recognize the seriousness of the problem.We must work togerther to use its power for better rents.

Advertising （2007）

Advertising has already become a very specialized activity in modern times. In today’s business world, supply is usually greater than demand. There is great competition between manufacturers of the same kind of product because they want to persuade customers to buy their particular brand. They always have to remind their customers of the name and qualities of their products by advertising. The manufacturer advertises in newspapers and on the radio. He sometimes employs sales girls to distribute samples of their products. He sometimes advertises on the Internet as well. In addition, he always has advertisements put into television programs that will accept them. Manufacturers often spend huge sums of money on advertisements. We buy a particular product because we think that is the best. We usually think so because the advertisements say so. People often don’t ask themselves if the advertisements are telling the truth when they buy advertised products from shops.

Choosing a Career （2008）

When students graduate from college, many of them do not know how they want to spend their working lives, and they sometimes move from job to job until they find something that suits them and of equal importance to which they are

suited. Others never find a job in which they are really happy. They remain all their lives square pegs in round holes. When we choose our careers, we need to ask ourselves two questions. First, what do we think we would like to be? Second, what kind of people are we? The idea, for example, of being a painter or a musician may seem very attractive, but unless we have great talent and are willing to work very hard, we are certain to fail in these occupations, and failure will lead to unhappiness in life. So it is important to assess our suitability for a certain career in job search.

New Year's Eve （2009）

For many people in the west, New Year's Eve is the biggest party of the year. /lt's the time to get together with friends or family/and welcome in the coming year. / New Year's parties can take place in different places. /Some people hold a house party; others attend street parties;/ while some just go for a few drinks with their friends. /Big cities have large and spectacular fireworks displays. / There is one thing that all New Year's Eve parties have in common,/ the countdown to midnight./ When the clock strikes 12, people give a loud cheer and sing songs./ It's also popular to make a promise in the New Year. /This is called a New Year's resolution. / Typical resolutions include giving up smoking and keeping fit. /However, the promise is often broken quite quickly /and people are back into their bad habits within weeks or days.

Freshmen's Week（2010）

Britain has a well-respected higher education system and some of the top universities and research institutions in the world. But to those who are new to this system, it can sometimes be confusing. October is usually the busiest month in the academic calendar. Universities have something called Freshmen's Week for their newcomers. It's a great opportunity to make new friends, join lots of clubs and settle into university life. However, having just left the comfort of home and all your friends behind, the prospect of meeting strangers in classrooms and dormitories can be worrying. Where do you start? And who should you make friends with? Which clubs and society should you join? Luckily, there will be thousands of others in the same boat as you. They worry about starting their university social life on the right foot. So just take it all in slowly. Don't rush into anything that you'll regret for the next three years.

British Holiday Habits (2011)

In the late 1970s, air travel became affordable／for the average family in the UK,／and more people started travelling abroad for their summer holidays.／After all, the British weather wasn’t very good, even in summer,／so a lot of people left the country for a vacation.／ In the 1980s and 1990s, young people in the UK became wealthier on average.／As a result, they started to go abroad in groups,／to places such as Spain and Greece.／Once they arrived at their destination,／they met with other groups of young people and had one long party.／ British holidaying habits have begun to change, however.／Climate change means that the UK now has a hotter climate,／so people do not need to go overseas to find good weather.／Also, going abroad is more expensive.／As a result, more British

people are choosing to spend their summer holidays in the UK.／

Ecotourism (2012)

Nowadays, many of us try to live in a way that will damage the environment as little as possible. We recycle our newspapers and bottles, we take public transport to get to work, we try to buy locally produced fruit and vegetables，and we want to take these attitudes on holiday with us. This is why alternative forms of tourism are becoming popular in the world. There are a lot of names for these new forms of tourism: responsible tourism, nature tourism, adventure tourism, educational tourism and more. Although everyone may have a different definition, most people agree that these new forms of tourism should do the following: first, they should conserve the wildlife and culture of the area; second, they should benefit the local people; third, they should make a profit without destroying natural resources; and finally they should provide an experience that tourists want to pay for.