2018年上半年英语四级听力真题(卷一)：短篇新闻。供考生参考练习。
News report 1 来自50年前的漂流瓶
A message in a bottle sent out to sea by a New Hampshire man more than five decades ago was found 1,500 miles away. And it has been returned to his daughter. A long-last message was discovered by Clint Buffington of Utah while he was vacationing. Buffington says he found a soda bottle half-buried in the sand that looked like it had been there since the beginning of time. The note inside the bottle said, ‘Return to 419 Ocean Street, and receive a reward of $150 from Richard and Tina Pierce, owners of a beachcomber motel.’ The motel was owned by the parents of Paula Piece in 1960. Her father had written the note as a joke and had thrown it into the Atlantic Ocean. Buffington flew to New Hampshire to deliver the message to Paula Piece. She held up to her father’s promise, giving Buffington that reward. But the biggest reward is the message in the bottle finding its way back home.
Questions 1 and 2 are based on the news report you have just heard.
Q1. What is the news report mainly about?
A) The return of a bottled message to its owner's daughter.
B) A New Hampshire man's joke with friends on his wife.
C) A father's message for his daughter.
D) The history of a century-old motel.
Q2. Why did Paula Piece give Clint Buffington the reward?
A) She wanted to show gratitude for his kindness.
B) She wanted to honor her father's promise.
C) She had been asked by her father to do so.
D) She was excited to see her father's handwriting.
News report 2 数百万蜜蜂在南卡罗来纳州死亡
Millions of bees have died in South Carolina during aerial insect spraying operations that were carried out to combat the Zika virus. The insect spraying over the weekends left more than 2 million bees dead on the spot in Dorchester County, South Carolina, where 4 travel-related cases of Zika disease have been confirmed in the area. Most of the deaths came from the Flowertown Bee Farm, a company in Summerville that sells bees and honey products. Juanita Stanley who owns the company said the farm looks like it’s been destroyed. The farm lost about 2.5 million bees. Dorchester County officials apologized for the accidental mass killing of bees. Dorchester County is aware that some bee keepers in the area that were sprayed on Sunday lost their bee colonies, county manager Jason Wars said in the statement, ‘I’m not pleased that so many bees were killed’.
Questions 3 and 4 are based on the news report you have just heard.
Q3. Why was spraying operations carried out in Dorchester County?
A) People were concerned about the number of bees.
B) Several cases of Zika disease had been identified.
C) Two million bees were infected with disease.
D) Zika virus had destroyed some bee farms.
Q4. What does news report say about Flowertown Bee Farm?
A) It apologized to its customers.
B) It was forced to kill its bees.
C) It lost a huge stock of bees.
D) It lost 2.5 million dollars.
News report 3 世界上最大的飞机首次试飞
The world’s largest aircraft has taken to the sky for the first time. The Airlander 10 spent nearly 2 hours in the air, having taken off from Cardington Airfield in Bedfordshire. During its flight, it reached 3,000 feet and performed a series of gentle turns all over a safe area. The aircraft isn’t massive as long as a football field and as tall as a 6 double-decker buses and capable of flying for up to 5 days. It was first developed for the US government as a long-wing spy aircraft. But it was abandoned following budget cutbacks. The aircraft costs 25 million pounds and can carry heavier loads than huge jet planes while also producing less noise and emitting less pollution. The makers believe it’s the future of aircraft, and one day we’ll be using them to go places. But there’s still a long way to go. The Airlander will need to have 200 hours flying time before being allowed to fly by the aviation administration. If it passes through, we can hope we’ll all get some extra leg room.
Questions 5 to 7 are based on the news report you have just heard.
Q5. What do we learn about the first flight of the Airlander 10?
A) It stayed in the air for about two hours.
B) It took off and landed on a football field.
C) It proved to be of high commercial value.
D) It made a series of sharp turns in the sky.
Q6. What caused the US government to abandon the Airlander 10 as a spy aircraft?
A) Engineering problems.
B) The air pollution it produced.
C) Inadequate funding.
D) The opposition from the military.
Q7. What is the advantage of Airlander 10 over huge jet planes?
A) It uses the latest aviation technology.
B) It flies faster than a commercial jet.
C) It is a safer means of transportation.
D) It is more environmentally friendly.
参考答案：
1. A) The return of a bottled message to its owner's daughter.
2. B) She wanted to honor her father's promise.
3. B) Several cases of Zika disease had been identified.
4. C) It lost a huge stock of bees.
5. A) It stayed in the air for about two hours.
6. C) Inadequate funding.
7. D) It is more environmentally friendly.
