英语专四 短文听力 Passage 3-2

 短文

Questions 14 to 17 are based on the following passage.

According to recent surveys, a large number of Americans favor increasing the present 55-mile-an-flour speed limit. The current speed limit was set in the early 1970's when the US faced its first crucial oil shortage. Sixty-five percent of the persons surveyed said that the law was out of date. They pointed¹ to the relative safety of the American highway system and to the efficiency of modem² vehicles to support their beliefs. (15) Westerners and younger people，rather than older adults，are more likely to argue against retention³ of the legislation. The debate is particularly important for those who live in the western states. Many of the large cities in the western part of the country are separated by thirty or forty hours of long，empty, straight roads. (17) People from this area argue that the examples of countries like Australia and Germany should demonstrate that higher speeds are still safe and that speed is disproportionately blamed for traffic problems. (15) Most professional truck drivers favor a higher speed limit. They argue that they can get their goods to the marketplace faster if the speed limit is higher, and that is good for the economy. Since the successful implementation⁴ of the turbocharged engine in modern trucks, it is quite possible for trucks to reach speeds twice the legal limit which they are currently allowed to travel in the end，economic issues may help make the final decision.

 

题目

Passage 3

Questions 14 to 17 are based on the following passage. At the end of the passage f you will be given 20 seconds to answer the questions.

Now, listen to the passage.

14. For what reason was the speed limit set at 55-mile-an-hour in 1970’s?

A. The citizens decided⁵ on it.

B. People believed that speeds above that were not safe.

C. The older people advocated it.

D. The U.S. suffered a fuel crisis.

15. Who is most probably in favor of increasing the speed limit?

A. Senior citizens.

B. Professional drivers who drive trucks.

C. People from the Southern part of the country.

D. Drivers with turbocharged automobiles⁶.

16. How many people surveyed agreed to set a new law of speed limit?

A. More than half of the people felt the law was obsolete⁷.

B. The average amount of people felt the law was obsolete.

C. Some of the people felt that the law was obsolete.

D. Less than half the people thought the law was obsolete.

17. What examples do people give to support their view that a higher speed limit is still safe?

A. The economic benefit.

B. The long roads between the cities in the western part of the country.

C. The currently used turbocharged engine.

D. The current German and Australian policies.

 

答案解析

Passage 3

14. D细节题。文章开头说当前的限速是20世纪70年代早期规定的，当时美国正面 临着第一次严峻的石油短缺危机。故D项为正确答案。

15. B细节题。文中介绍说住在西部的人和年轻人，还有绝大多数职业卡车司机们更 倾向提高当前的限速，故通过筛选只有B项符合题意。

16. A细节题。文章开头指出参与调査的人当中有65%的人赞同改革当前已过时的 法律，即超过半数，故选A。

17. D细节题。文章中说到人们列举了澳大利亚和德国的例子来说明更快的速度也 仍然是安全的。故D项正确。

1 pointed   

adj.尖的，直截了当的

参考例句：

• He gave me a very sharp pointed pencil.他给我一支削得非常尖的铅笔。
• She wished to show Mrs.John Dashwood by this pointed invitation to her brother.她想通过对达茨伍德夫人提出直截了当的邀请向她的哥哥表示出来。

2 modem   

n.调制解调器

参考例句：

• Does your computer have a modem?你的电脑有调制解调器吗？
• Provides a connection to your computer via a modem.通过调制解调器连接到计算机上。

3 retention   

n.保留，保持，保持力，记忆力

参考例句：

• They advocate the retention of our nuclear power plants.他们主张保留我们的核电厂。
• His retention of energy at this hour is really surprising.人们惊叹他在这个时候还能保持如此旺盛的精力。

4 implementation   

n.实施，贯彻

参考例句：

• Implementation of the program is now well underway.这一项目的实施现在行情看好。

5 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

6 automobiles   

n.汽车( automobile的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• When automobiles become popular,the use of the horse and buggy passed away. 汽车普及后，就不再使用马和马车了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Automobiles speed in an endless stream along the boulevard. 宽阔的林荫道上，汽车川流不息。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

7 obsolete   

adj.已废弃的，过时的

参考例句：

• These goods are obsolete and will not fetch much on the market.这些货品过时了，在市场上卖不了高价。
• They tried to hammer obsolete ideas into the young people's heads.他们竭力把陈旧思想灌输给青年。