作者：北京新航道名师 周彦坤
大学英语新四级考试已经于2006年6月24日正式登上了历史舞台，如何更好地巩固老题型，更快地适应新题型，是每个即将参加四级考试的考生必须面对的问题。
就四级听力题目本身而言，主要有以下几方面的变化：
首先，听力的分值比例由原来的20%提升到35%：Section A部分由两种题型构成：短对话和长对话。短对话部分由原来的10题减至8题，占分值的8%；另外，新四级还增加了两篇长对话，出题模式类似于现行托福考试中听力Part B，每篇3至4题，共7题，分值比例为7%，；Section B部分仍然为短文题，即我们俗称的段子题(passage)，共3篇，每篇3到4题，共10题，分值比例10%；Section C为复合式听写：其中词汇听写由原来的7个增加至8个，句子听写仍保持3句不变，复合式听写部分总共占分值的10%。总的来说，题目的总量增加了，做题时间增长了，这样，无形中增加了对同学在做题目时精力集中程度的考验。
其次，就题型构成来说，Section A 部分的8个小对话，通常都是一男一女的对话。在做短对话题目的时候，仍然要抓住关键词和场景这两个重要因素。通过捕捉题目中出现的关键词，判断相关场景。同学们应该熟悉四级听力常考的十大场景：学习场景、天气场景、
医院场景、打工场景、租房场景、娱乐场景、餐馆场景、选课场景、论文场景、图书馆场景。英语是一种模式化的语言，在固定的场景中其词汇和表达也相对比较固定，平时注意积累场景高频词汇和习惯表达，在四级听力短对话部分可以做到未听先知的状态。
而section A部分的长对话，可以说，就是小对话和短文的有机结合。如果说一人一句的短对话涉及的只是一个“点”，那么长对话涉及的就是一个“面”。短对话是把长对话中的某个具体问答提炼了出来，而长对话就是把这些问答融入到一段两个人聊天或者交谈当中，其中有寒暄，有过渡，也有问答。而每每遇到问答的时候都是考官青睐的考点，而且考试的重点往往落在答语上。这一点和短对话中体现的原则不谋而合。长对话的出题方式和短文的考察方法很类似，特别是与人物生平发展或者故事类的题目很相似，即每一方面的内容只考察一道题目，而且通常情况下，出题的顺序和文章的顺序是一致的。
对于section B的短文听力部分，一般同学都有这样的感觉，短对话不管怎样也还能凭经验去蒙对几个，但是听力短文部分即使经过长期练习，提高也并不明显，有时甚至觉得文章听懂了，做题时仍无从下手。和短对话题型比较起来，听力短文部分信息量大，题材范围广，从历年的考试题目来看，从生活、社会、政治到文化、历史、艺术都考到过，而且这种题目的题型变化多，复杂句多。但是，如果我们注意分析，短文听力还是有很多规律和方法可循。比如，听文章的时候一定要抓住文章的开头和结尾。因为按西方人的习惯，他们喜欢单刀直入，开门见山，所以往往一篇文章的开头就是主题句(topic sentence),即便不是，它也会包含很多的信息。另外，文中出现的时间，数字，地点信息，原因和转折句也特别容易被考到。所以，听的时候要特别留心这些地方，及时做好笔记。
最后，我们来谈谈复合式听写。这种题目一般是一篇200字左右的短文，中间有十一个空，1-8空要求填入所听到的单词，通常是难一点，长一点的四级词汇，而且一般都会是对实词的考察。9-11空是三个长句子，要求把听到的句子用自己的话写出来，只要意思接近，没有很大的语法错误即可。从以往历年的考题来看，复合式听写文章的难度有相当的增加，从1998年1月小故事类型的记叙文到2001年6月关于健康的说明文、2003年1月关于捕捞业的说明文、2004年6月关于美国国会图书馆的说明文以及2005年关于照相机的说明文。而最新四级样题中的复合式听写居然是一篇非常新近的关于俄罗斯进入世界贸易组织准备工作及其协调过程的议论文式新闻体裁。可见复合式听写的内容和题材正在朝着一个更加广泛的方向发展。这也对同学提出了更大的挑战。在做复合式听写题目之前，首先要对全文进行全局性的预览，尤其是段落第一、二句和最后一句。如果时间充裕，还可抓紧时间观察空格前后的一些特殊现象，从中判断所填单词的词性、单复数、时态语态等等。听的时候要注意精听速记，以听为主，以记为辅。比如：遇到一些冠词，助动词时可先省略不记，又比如遇到一些较长的词组，可先记下每个单词的头一个字母，或者是较长的单词只记前三个字母等。等到全部听完之后，再利用一点时间进行检查：检查句子句法的完整性，单词的正确性等。
对比新旧四级听力考试的特点，我们可以预见新四级听力考试将会呈现出以下的出题趋势：
1、语音上由过去单纯的美音朗读变为现在的英音美音交替朗读；
2、语速较过去要快一些；
3、生活中一些常用的偏难的词汇开始多次出现，如05年12月考察到的recruit、resume等；
4、小对话中的句子逐渐加长，增加了对长句的记忆以及对句子中关键信息的捕捉能力；
5、不再是简单的细节对应，只要听清了能分辨出来就能答题，它变得更注重于对语言交际能力的考察，许多时候需要你总结或者听出说话人的言外之意；
6、更加侧重于与当今大学生生活密切相关的话题，比如2002年1月考到与找工作有关的话题，2002年6月连续两道题又是找工作的相关考题；
7、Section B的短文题型改掉了过去选材单一，题材以记叙文为主的特点，而是转变为以较难的说明文为主要趋势，并且内容更加广泛，涉及到环保、宇航、生物介绍等内容；
8、复合式听写体裁范围越来越广。
综上所述，同学们在平时练习中要特别重视真题，因为只有真题才能体现出题者的意图和出题特点及趋势。听题的时候，要学会适应说话者的语音、语调，注意曾经犹豫不决做对的题目和犹豫不决改错的题目。可以从以下几个方面入手，总结一下自己经常出错的原因：
如果是小对话题，那么问题基本上可以从单词、词组、口语表达方式、场景及其相关语境词、句型结构、时态、语态语体、和语音语调等几方面进行归类；
如果是语段题，那么问题基本上可以从词组、句型结构、语段语篇结构、文章体裁、考点分布和标志词等几方面来进行归类；
如果是复合式听写，那么问题基本上可以从漏词、错词、大小写、时态语态、数、同音近音词、细节把握、语言归纳整理能力和句型结构的掌握等几方面来进行归类。
这样通过比较系统地归纳和整理自身暴露出来的问题，大家可以一目了然地发觉自身薄弱环节所在，这样就可以及时地，有针对性地对症下药。
最后，值得一提的是，新四级考试各部分顺序也有所改变，听力将作为在写作与快速阅读之后的第三部分出现，这也将给大家带来习惯上的差异与不适应，所以大家在平时练习的时候应当加以注意，通过适应性训练来熟悉新四级的考试流程，为取得高分打下扎实的基础。
四级新题型
Part III Listening Comprehension (35 minutes)?? --------- 听力
Section A
Directions: In this section, you will hear 8 short conversations and 2 long conversations. At the end of each conversation, one or more questions will be asked about what was said. Both the conversation and the questions will be spoken only once. After each question there will be a pause. During the pause, you must read the four choices marked A), B), C) and D), and decide which is the best answer. Then mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 2 with a single line through the centre.
注意：此部分试题请在 答题卡 2 上作答。
11. A) The man hates to lend his tools to other people. B) The man hasn't finished working on the bookshelf. C) The tools have already been returned to the woman. D) The tools the man borrowed from the woman are missing. 12. A) Save time by using a computer. C) Borrow Martha's computer. B) Buy her own computer. D) Stay home and complete her paper. 13. A) He has been to Seattle many times. C) He holds a high position in his company. B) He has chaired a lot of conferences. D) He lived in Seattle for many years. 14. A) Teacher and student. C) Manager and office worker. B) Doctor and patient. D) Travel agent and customer. 15. A) She knows the guy who will give the lecture. B) She thinks the lecture might be informative. C) She wants to add something to her lecture. D) She'll finish her report this weekend. 16. A) An art museum. C) A college campus. B) A beautiful park. D) An architectural exhibition. 17. A) The houses for sale are of poor quality. B) The houses are too expensive for the couple to buy. C) The housing developers provide free trips for potential buyers. D) The man is unwilling to take a look at the houses for sale. 18. A) Talking about sports. C) Reading newspapers. B) Writing up local news. D) Putting up advertisements. Questions 19 to 22 are based on the conversation you have just heard. 19. A) The benefits of strong business competition. B) A proposal to lower the cost of production. C) Complaints about the expense of modernization. D) Suggestions concerning new business strategies. 20. A) It cost much more than its worth. C) It calls for immediate repairs. B) It should be brought up-to-date. D) It can still be used for a long time. 21. A) The personnel manager should be fired for inefficiency. B) A few engineers should be employed to modernize the factory. C) The entire staff should be retrained. D) Better-educated employees should be promoted. 22. A) Their competitors have long been advertising on TV. B) TV commercials are less expensive. C) Advertising in newspapers alone is not sufficient. D) TV commercials attract more investments.
Questions 23 to 25 are based on the conversation you have just heard. 23. A) Searching for reference material. C) Writing a course book. B) Watching a film of the 1930s'. D) Looking for a job in a movie studio. 24. A) It's too broad to cope with. C) It's controversial. B) It's a bit outdated. D) It's of little practical value. 25. A) At the end of the online catalogue. B) At the Reference Desk. C) In The New York Times . D) In the Reader's Guide to Periodical Literature .
Section B
Directions: In this section, you will hear 3 short passages. At the end of each passage, you will hear some questions. Both the passage and the questions will be spoken only once. After you hear a question, you must choose the best answer from the four choices marked A), B), C) and D). Then mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 2 with a single line through the centre. 注意：此部分试题请在 答题卡 2 上作答。
Passage One
Questions 26 to 28 are based on the passage you have just heard. 26. A) Synthetic fuel. C) Alcohol. B) Solar energy. D) Electricity. 27. A) Air traffic conditions. C) Road conditions. B) Traffic jams on highways. D) New traffic rules. 28. A) Go through a health check. C) Arrive early for boarding. B) Take little luggage with them. D) Undergo security checks.
Passage Two
Questions 29 to 31 are based on the passage you have just heard. 29. A) Beauty. C) Luck. B) Loyalty. D) Durability. 30. A) He wanted to follow the tradition of his country. B) He believed that it symbolized an everlasting marriage. C) It was thought that a blood vessel in that finger led directly to the heart. D) It was supposed that the diamond on that finger would bring good luck. 31. A) The two people can learn about each other's likes and dislikes. B) The two people can have time to decide if they are a good match. C) The two people can have time to shop for their new home. D) The two people can earn enough money for their wedding.
Passage Three
Questions 32 to 35 are based on the passage you have just heard. 32. A) Because there are no signs to direct them. B) Because no tour guides are available. C) Because all the buildings in the city look alike. D) Because the university is everywhere in the city. 33. A) They set their own exams. C) They award their own degrees. B) They select their own students. D) They organize their own laboratory work. 34. A) Most of them have a long history. B) Many of them are specialized libraries. C) They house more books than any other university library. D) They each have a copy of every book published in Britain. 35. A) Very few of them are engaged in research. B) They were not awarded degrees until 1948. C) They have outnumbered male students. D) They were not treated equally until 1881. Section C Directions: In this section, you will hear a passage three times. When the passage is read for the first time, you should listen carefully for its general idea. When the passage is read for the second time, you are required to fill in the blanks numbered from 36 to 43 with the exact words you have just heard. For blanks numbered from 44 to 46 you are required to fill in the missing information. For these blanks, you can either use the exact words you have just heard or write down the main points in your own words. Finally, when the passage is read for the third time, you should check what you have written.
第二章 新四级考试听力样题
