英语四级听力练习集锦10

Time

I think a lot about time and not just because it's the name of the news organization I work for. Like most working people, I find time or the lack of it, are never ending frustration¹ and an unwinable battle. My every day is a race against the clock that I never ever seem to win. This is hardly a lonesome complaint, according to the families and work institutes, national study of the changing work force, 55% of the employees say they don't have enough time for themselves, 63% don't have enough time for their spouses² or partners, and 67% don't have enough time for their children. It's also not a new complaint. I bet our ancestors returned home from hunting wild animals and gathering³ nuts, and complained about how little time they had to paint battle scenes on their cave walls. The difference is that the boss of the animal hunting and the head of nut gathering probably told them to "Shut up!" or "No survival for you!" Today's workers are still demanding control over their time, the difference is: today's bosses are listening. I've been reading a report issued today called When Work Works, produced jointly⁴ by 3 organizations. They set out to find and award the employers who employ the most creative and most effective ways to give their workers flexibility⁵. I found this report worth reading and suggest every boss should read it for ideas.

Questions 26 to 28 are based on the passage you have just heard.

26. What is the speaker complaining about?

（He's in a hurry to work everyday and doesn't have enough spare time.）

27. What does the speaker say about our ancestors?

（They were busy with finding food outside in order to survive.）

28. Why does the speaker suggest all bosses read the report by the 3 organizations?

（Because this report may help them keep their most creative and effective workers

working without too much complaint.）

1 frustration   

n.挫折，失败，失效，落空

参考例句：

• He had to fight back tears of frustration.他不得不强忍住失意的泪水。
• He beat his hands on the steering wheel in frustration.他沮丧地用手打了几下方向盘。

2 spouses   

n.配偶，夫或妻( spouse的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Jobs are available for spouses on campus and in the community. 校园里和社区里有配偶可做的工作。 来自辞典例句
• An astonishing number of spouses-most particularly in the upper-income brackets-have no close notion of their husbands'paychecks. 相当大一部分妇女——特别在高收入阶层——并不很了解他们丈夫的薪金。 来自辞典例句

3 gathering   

n.集会，聚会，聚集

参考例句：

• He called on Mr. White to speak at the gathering.他请怀特先生在集会上讲话。
• He is on the wing gathering material for his novels.他正忙于为他的小说收集资料。

4 jointly   

ad.联合地，共同地

参考例句：

• Tenants are jointly and severally liable for payment of the rent. 租金由承租人共同且分别承担。
• She owns the house jointly with her husband. 她和丈夫共同拥有这所房子。

5 flexibility   

n.柔韧性，弹性，（光的）折射性，灵活性

参考例句：

• Her great strength lies in her flexibility.她的优势在于她灵活变通。
• The flexibility of a man's muscles will lessen as he becomes old.人老了肌肉的柔韧性将降低。