小短文
短文题材：天文、地理、科幻、科学、文化、教育、风俗、历史、人物、日常生活
体裁：记叙文、说明文、议论文、应用文
一、 题型：
1. 细节题：主要考五个 w 一个 h(when, why, where, what, how)
What happened...in this passage? Who was responsible for...? Why did...? Where did accident take place ? How can ...? How many ...? In what way... When will...
2. 推理题(infer、implied)
What can we infer from the passage? What the passage tell us about? What could possibly have if ... Which of the following is true(not true, mentioned, not mentioned)? What does...say about...? What do we learn from the passage?
3. 主题题(main idea)
What is possible topic for the passage? What is the passage mainly about? What is a main idea of the passage? What does the passage mainly discuss? What do we learn from the passage? What can be concluded from the passage? What is the best title for the passage?
小短文听力之十大黄金原则
1、听到什么就选什么
90年1月
Everywhere we look we see Americans running. They run for every reason anybody could think of. They run for health, for beauty, to lose weight, to feel fit and because it's the thing they love to do. Every year, for example, thousands upon thousands of people run in one race, the Boston Marathon, the best known long distance race in the United States. In recent years, there have been nearly 5,000 official competitors and it takes three whole minutes for the crowd of runners just to cross the starting line. You may have heard the story of the Greek runner Pheidippides. He ran from Marathon to Athens to deliver the news of the great victory 2,500 years ago. No one knows how long it took him to run the distance. But the story tells us that he died of the effort. Today no one will die in a Marathon race. But the effort is still enormous. Someone does come in first in this tiring foot race. But at the finish line we see what this race is about: not being first but finishing. The real victory is not over one's fellow runners but over one's own body. It's a victory of will-power over fatigue. In the Boston marathon each person who crosses that finish line is a winner.
14. What's the real victory for the thousands of Marathon runners?
A) The victory over one's fellow runners.
B) The victory over former winners.
C) The victory of will-power over fatigue.
D) The victory of one's physical strength.
[答案：C]
2、顺序原则
3、重复原则
1997年6月
Today, air travel is far safer than driving a car on a busy motorway. But there is a
danger that grows every year.From the moment an airplane takes off to the moment it
lands, every movement is watched on radar screens. Air traffic controllers tell the pilot
exactly when to turn, when to climb and when to come down. The air traffic controllers
around a busy airport may handle 1,000 planes a day. Any plane that flies near the
airport comes under the orders of the controllers there. Even a small mistake on their
part could cause a disaster.
Recently such a disaster almost happened. Two large jets were flying towards the
airport. One was carrying 69 passengers and had come from Toronto. The other was
carrying 176 passengers from Chicago. An air traffic controller noticed on his radar
screen that the two planes were too close to each other. He ordered one to turn to the
right and to climb. But he made a mistake. He ordered the wrong plane to do this. So,
instead of turning away from the second plane, the first plane turned towards it. Fifteen
seconds later it flew directly in front of the second plane. They avoided each other by
the smallest part of a second. The distance between them was less than that of a large
swimming pool. This is an example of the danger that grows every year.
11. Which factor can most seriously endanger airplanes according to this passage?
A) Crowded air traffic. B) The large size of airplanes.
C) Bad weather. D) Mistakes by air traffic controllers.
[答案：C]
4、解释原则
5、转折对比原则
2003年1月
There are some serious problems in the Biramichi River. The local Chamber of
Commerce, which represents the industries in the area, hired me as a consultant to do a
one-year study on fishing in the Biramichi River and write a report for them. This is my
report.
One of the major problems in the Biramichi River, is that the level of the oxygen in
the water is too low. Several chemicals have displaced the oxygen. This chemical
pollution has two sources: The factories which dump polluted water directly into the
river and the local community, which dumps untreated human wastes into the river. The
local town government has already spent 2 million dollars on waste water treatment
projects. But it would cost another 27 million to complete the projects. It would take at
least 15 years for the town to collect enough revenue from taxes to complete these
projects. The factories here employed 17 000 people, and in the area where there is very
little alternative employment, it is not economically practical to close or relocate the
factories. Also, the factories can not afford to finance chemical treatment plants by
themselves.
Another problem is that the members of the Biramichi fishing cooperative are
overfishing. Fishes are caught when they are on the way upstream to lay eggs.
Consequently, not enough fish are left to reproduce in large numbers. The members of
the cooperative say that they have already reduced their annual catch by 60 percent.
However, my study indicates that they took fewer fish because there were fewer fish to
catch, not because they were trying to preserve fishes.
14. A) There were fewer fish in the river.
B) Over-fishing was prohibited.
C) The local Chamber of Commerce tried to preserve fishes.
D) The local fishing cooperative decided to reduce its catch.
[答案：A]
6、因果原则
7、开头原则
8、结尾原则(尾巴原则)
9、人名原则
1990年1月
Everywhere we look we see Americans running. They run for every reason anybody
could think of. They run for health, for beauty, to lose weight, to feel fit and because it's
the thing they love to do. Every year, for example,thousands upon thousands of people
run in one race, the Boston Marathon, the best known long distance race in the United
States. In recent years, there have been nearly 5,000 official competitors and it takes
three whole minutes for the crowd of runners just to cross the starting line. You may
have heard the story of the Greek runner Pheidippides. He ran from Marathon to Athens
to deliver the news of the great victory 2,500 years ago. No one knows how long it took
him to run the distance. But the story tells us that he died of the effort. Today no one will
die in a Marathon race. But the effort is still enormous. Someone does come in first in
this tiring foot race. But at the finish line we see what this race is about: not being first
but finishing. The real victory is not over one's fellow runners but over one's own body.
It's a victory of will-power over fatigue. In the Boston marathon each person who
crosses that finish line is a winner.
15. What happened to the ancient Greek runner Pheidippides?
A) He won the first prize. C) He fell behind the other runners.
B) He died because of fatigue. D) He gave up because he was tired.
[答案：B]
10.强调原则
1990年1月
Strikes are very common in Britain. They are extremely harmful to its industries. In
fact, there are other countries in Western Europe that lose more working days through
strikes every year than Britain. The trouble with the strikes in Britain is that they occur
in essential industries. There are over 495 unions in Britain. Some unions are very small.
Over 20 have more than 100,000 members. Unions do not exist only to demand higher
wages. They also educate their members. They provide benefits for the sick and try to
improve working conditions. Trade unioners say that we must thank the unions for the
great improvement in working conditions in the last hundred years. It is now against the
law for union members to go on strike without the support of their union. This kind of
strike is called the unofficial strike and was common until recently. Employers feel that
unofficial strikes were most harmful because they would not be predicted. However,
these unofficial strikes still occur from time to time and some unions have also refused
to cooperate with the law. As a result, the general picture of the relations between
workers and employers in Britain has gone from bad to worse.
13. What conclusion can be drawn from this passage?
A) Trade unions in Britain are becoming more popular.
B) Most strikes in Britain are against the British law.
C) Unofficial strikes in Britain are easier to deal with now.
D) Employer-worker relations in Britain have become tenser.
[答案：D]
真题文章讲解:
2003年9月
Few people can stand for the spirit of earlier America as much as Benjamin Franklin.He lived through almost the whole of the 18th century. He was born six years after the century began, and died ten years before it ended. During this time, he saw the American colonies grow from tiny settlements into a nation and he also contributed much to the new state. He was deeply interested in science and natural history and his experiments with electricity and lightning led directly to the invention of the lightning rod. He was also interested in improving the conditions of his fellow men. He was involved in a number of projects in his native Philadephia, including the setting up of a library, a university, a philosophical society and fire-prevention service. he worked hard to enable the American colonies to gain independece from Britain. As embassador to France, he encouraged the French to help George Washington. After the war, he attended the American Constitional congress.. this was his last contribution, for he died late that year. He is still fondly remembered by Americans as one of the creators of the United States.
11. [A] He set up the first university in America.
[B] He was one of the earliest settlers in America.
[C] He can best represent the spirit of early America.
[D] He was the most distinguished diplomat in American history.
[答案：D]
12. [A] He provided Washington with a lot of money.
[B] He persuaded France to support Washington.
[C] He served as a general in Washington's army.
[D] He represented Washington in negotiations with Britain.
[答案：B]
13. [A] As one of the greatest American scholars.
[B] As one of America's most ingenious inventors.
[C] As one of the founding fathers of the United States.
[D] As one of the most famous activists for human rights.
[答案：C]
04年6月
Yuppies are young people who earn a lot of money and live in a style that is too
expensive for most people. If you’re invited to a yuppie dinner party, don’t be surprised
if you’re offered freshly-cooked insects as a first course. While the idea of eating fried
insects fills most of us with horror, insect-eating is becoming highly fashionable. For
example, in the media industry, successful executives are often seen to eat fried or
boiled insects from time to time while working at their desks. These safe-to-eat insects
can be found and ordered on the Internet. And young people are logging on to exotic
Although the idea of eating insects is probably disgusting to most of us, few people
would claim that pigs, chickens, and some kind of seafood we often eat are examples of
great beauty. One day, insects could be marketed and sold as food item in supermarket.
According to their fans, they are not only high in protein and low in fat, but also very
tasty. But until our attitudes to food change fundamentally, it seems that insect-eaters
will remain a select few.food websites and ordering samples of prepared insects to serve
at their dinner parties.
14. Why did the speaker say we might be surprised at the yuppie dinner party?
A) Because we might be offered a dish of insects.
B) Because nothing but freshly cooked insects are served
C) Because some yuppies like to horrify guests with insects as food.
D) Because we might meet many successful executives in the media industry.
[答案：A]
15. Where can the people order the unusual food mentioned by the speaker?
A) From yuppie clubs.
B) In the seafood market.
C) In the supermarket.
D) On the Intemet.
[答案：D]
16. Why are some yuppies attracted by the unusual food?
A) Its easy to prepare.
B) Its tasty and healthful.
C) Its exotic in appearance.
D) Its safe to eat.
[答案：B]
17. What does the speaker say about the future of this type of unusual food?
A) It will be consumed by more and more young people.
B) It will become the first course at dinner parties.
C) It will have to be changed to suit local tastes.
D) It is unlikely to be enjoyed by most People.
[答案：A]
06年1月
In some large American city schools, as many as 20-40% of the students are absent
each day. There are two major reasons for such absences: one is sickness, and the other
is truancy. That is staying away from school without permission. Since school officials
can’t do much about the illness, they are concentrating on reducing the number of
truancy. One of the most promising schemes has been tried in Florida. The pupils there
with good attendance have been given free hamburgers, toys and T-shirts. Classes are
told if they show improved rates of attendance, they can win additional gifts. At the
same time, teachers are encouraged to inspire their students to come to school regularly.
In San Francisco, the board of education has had a somewhat similar idea.
Schools that show a decrease in deliberate destruction of property can receive the
amount of money that would be spent on repairs and replacements. For example, 12,000
dollars had been set aside for a school’s property damages every year. Since repair
expenses of damaged property required only 4,000 dollars, the remaining 8,000 dollars
was turned over to the student activity fund. “Our democracy operates on hope and
encouragement,” said the school board member. “Why not provide some positive goals
for students and teachers to aim at?”
17 which reason for students’ absences is discussed in great detail?
A)Punishment by teachers B)Poor academic p
C)Truancy D)Illness
[答案：C]
19 who will benefit from the scheme being tried in Florida?
A)The Board of Education
B)Principals of city schools
C)Students with good academic records
D)Students with good attendance records
[答案：D]
20 What measure has been taken in San Francisco to reduce destruction of school
property?
A) Punishing students who damage school property
B) Rewarding schools that have decreased the destruction
C) Promoting teachers who can prevent the destruction
D) Cutting the budget for repairs and replacements
[答案：B]
