2014年英语四级考试模拟试题及答案(第一套)_第7页

　　M: Hello, Professor Johnson.

　　W: Hello, Tony. So what shall we work on today?

　　M: Well, the problem is that this writing assignment isn’t coming out right. What I

　　thought I was writing on was to talk about what a particular sport means to me—one I

　　participate in.

　　W: What sport did you choose?

　　M: I decided to write about cross-country skiing.

　　W: What are you going to say about skiing?

　　M: That’s the problem. I thought I would write about how peaceful it is to be out in

　　the country.

　　W: So why is that a problem?

　　M: As I start describing how quiet it is to be out in the woods, I keep mentioning how

　　much effort it takes to keep going. Cross-country skiing isn’t as easy as some people

　　think. It takes a lot of energy. But that’s not part of my paper, so I guess I should leave

　　it out. But now I don’t know how to explain that feeling of peacefulness without

　　explaining how hard you have to work for it. It all fits together. It’s not like just

　　sitting down somewhere and watching the clouds roll by. That’s different.

　　W: Then you’ll have to include that in your point. The peacefulness of cross-country

　　skiing is the kind you earn by effort. Why leave that out? Part of your point you knew

　　beforehand, but part you discovered as you wrote. That’s common, right?

　　M: Yeah, I guess so …

　　Questions 9 to 11 are based on the conversation you have just heard.

　　9. What is the topic of the man’s writing assignment?

　　10. What problem does the man have while working on his paper?

　　11. What does the woman say is common in writing papers?

　　Conversation Two

　　W: Good evening, and welcome to this week’s “Business World,” the program for and

　　about businesspeople. Tonight we have Mr. Steven Kane who has just taken over an

　　established bicycle shop. Tell us, Mr. Kane, what made you want to run your own

　　store?

　　M: Well, I’ve always loved racing bikes and fixing them. When I was working

　　full-time as a salesman for a big company, I seldom had time to enjoy my hobby. I

　　knew then that as soon as I had enough money to get my own business going, I’d do

　　it. I had my heart set on it, and I didn’t let anything stand in my way. When I went down to the bank and got a business loan, I knew I’d love being my own boss. Now

　　my time is my own. I open the store when I want and leave when I want.

　　W: You mean you don’t keep regular hours?

　　M: Well, the sign on my store says the hours are 10:00 to 6:00, but if business is

　　slower than usual, I can just lock up and take off early.

　　W: Have you hired any employees to work with you yet?

　　M: Yeah, a couple of friends of mine who love biking as much as I do. They help me

　　out a few days a week. It’s great because … we play cards or just sit around and talk

　　when there’re no customers.

　　W: Thank you, Mr. Kane. We wish you success in your new business.

　　Questions 12 to 15 are based on the conversation you have just heard.

　　12. What is the woman doing?

　　13. What did Mr. Kane do before he took over the bicycle shop?

　　14. Why did the man take over a bicycle shop?

　　15. What do we learn about the people working in the shop?