专四考前预测——听写(1)：Sidewinder
Most snakes move in a straight line, but there are some notable exceptions.One is the snake called the American sidewinder. From its name, you can probably guess that it moves side ways rather than in a straight line. And this is because it lives in the desert where the sand slips and slides. With nothing firm to push against for traction, the sidewinder has had to adapt its way of movement to the shifting sand. It pushes against the sand with the entire side of its body, and then moves sideways or sidesteps. It lays its body at about 60degree angle to the direction in which it wants to go. By doing this, the snake has more sand to push against. Then it points its head in the direction it wants to go and leaps. An added advantage gained from this method of moving may be that the snake''s body is kept cooler by the breaking of contact with the hot sand during its leaps.
专四考前预测——听写(2)：Railroad
Nineteenth-century writers in the United States were powerfully drawn to the railroad in its golden years. In fact, writers responded to the railroads as soon as they began to be built in the 1830''s. By the 1850''s, the railroad was a major presence in the life of the nation. Most writers saw the railroad both as a benefit to democracy and as an object of suspicion. The railroad could ruin nature. Furthermore, in its manifestation of speed and noise, it might ruin human nature as well. By the 1850''s and 1860''s, there was a great distrust among writers and intellectuals of the rapid industrialization of which the railroad was a leading force. Some philosophical historians regretted the role that the new passion for business was playing in eroding traditional values. A distrust of industry and business continued among writers throughout the rest of the nineteenth century and into the twentieth.
专四考前预测——听写(3)：Vitamins
It was not until the beginning of this century that it was recognized /that certain substances were essential in the diet to prevent or cure some diseases. / These substances are now known as vitamins. / They are vital for growth, good health,/ and maintenance of the normal functions of the body. / A well-balanced diet should provide all the vitamins we normally require. / Those of us who are fortunate enough to be able to buy sufficient food/ should not suffer from vitamin deficiency. / However, for various reasons,/ some people do not maintain a balanced diet. / People often lose their appetite because of illness. / People living alone may not bother to eat proper meals,/ and people on a diet may not eat sufficient quantities of necessary foods. / Moreover, modern methods of preserving, freezing and long-time storage of food,/ together with over cooking, can destroy many of the vitamins. /
We do not know when man first began to use salt, / but we do know that it has been used in many different ways throughout history. /Historical evidence shows, for example, that people who lived over 3000 years ago ate salted fish. / Thousands of years ago in Egypt, salt was used to preserve the dead. /
Stealing salt was considered a major crime during some periods of history. / In 18th century, for instance,/ if a person was caught stealing salt, he can be put in jail. /History records that about ten thousand people were put in jail during that century for stealing salt! / About 150 years before, in the year 1553, / taking more salt that one was allowed to was punishable as a crime. /The offender''s ear was cut off. /
Salt was an important item on the table of royalty. /It was traditionally placed in front of the king when he sat down to eat. /Important guests at the king''s table were seated near the salt. /Less important guests were given seats farther away from it./
专四考前预测——听写(4)：The first trans-continental railroad
When the first trans-continental railroad was completed in 1869, native lands seemed even more desirable, and movement westward increased as industrialism spread. The railroads spurred America''s transformation from an agricultural economy, or one based primarily on farming, to an economy where capitalism, or private ownership of businesses, prevailed. Industry in America developed far more rapidly than it had in Europe. Factories and mills spread quickly throughout New England prior to the Civil War due to good supplies of natural resources such as iron and coal, and the ease of transporting finished goods along the many navigable rivers. This in turn lead to the building of more railroads and canals to handle the increased traffic.
