专四口语方法指导与练习.docx

Guidelines for ExamineesGraded Test for English Majors Band 4 Oral TestThe oral test for the second-year English majors is designed to assess your spoken English in different types of situations and on a wide variety of topics. It consists of three tasks, each involving a particular speech activity.Task One: Retell a storyThe passage will be approximately 300 words long. It may be a story, accounts of experiences or anecdotes. You have to start your retelling immediately after you have heard the passage twice.Task Two: Talk based on a given topicA given topic is very often related to the general theme of the passage you have heard previously. For example, the passage may describe someones miserable life in his/her early childhood, and the topic you are required to talk about is one happy incident in your childhood. After you have heard the given topic spoken on the test tape twice, you have three minutes to prepare your talk. Your talk is limited to three minutes.Task Three: Role-playThe task involves two examinees. Each of you will get a sheet which contains a specific situation and a specified role you are expected to play. Although the situation is the same for the two examinees, your roles are different. For example, the given situation may be borrowing money. Student A wants to borrow 20 dollars from Student B. Student A must try all the best to per?suade Student B to lend him/her money while Student B must refuse As request with politeness. Your preparation time is three minutes. Your conversation is limited to four minutes.专四口试题型根据大纲的要求，口试内容分解为三项：（1）复述故事（听两遍故事后复述3分钟）；（2）即席讲话（根据所给的题目准备3分钟后，作即席讲话3分钟）；（3）对话（根据规定的角色各自准备3分钟后，对话4分钟）。所要复述的故事大约有300字，一般都是描述过去发生的事情。听故事时，允许学生记笔记。听两遍后直接复述，没有准备的时间。该项任务具有较强的交际价值。在日常生活中，我们经常把自己从电视或报纸上看到的内容讲给别人听。在特殊的情况下，我们还需要在法庭上作证，转述别人的讲话。此外，复述故事还能训练人的记忆能力，这是口译人员必须具备的条件之一。用于即席讲话的题目一般都与复述故事的主题有一定的联系。例如，1999年用于复述的故事内容大致是：一个渴望获得知识的年轻人询问苏格拉底求知的奥妙，苏格拉底没有直接告诉他答案，而是把他带到海边，突然把他的头按在水里，让他感受在水中无法呼吸的痛苦。当他从水中挣扎到岸边、怒气冲冲地找苏格拉底算账的时候，苏格拉底微笑着问他：“当你的头被接在水里的时候，你最想得到什么？”那个年轻人说：“最想的是呼吸。”苏格拉底说：“当你渴望知识的程度像你渴望呼吸一样，你就能学到知识。”第二项任务的题目是：Describe one of your experiences in which you had a burning desire to learn something.即席讲话需要描述自己的经历，与复述故事一样，这项任务同样具有交际价值。朋友之间经常通过交流各自的经历，分享过去的快乐与痛苦。求职面试时，主考官可能要你叙述过去的学习经历或者工作经历。口试第三部分的对话内容一般都是大学生所熟悉的话题。双方讲话采用讨论的方式，对某个问题发表自己的意见。这同辩论不一样。辩论双方必须形成对立面，各执一词，针锋相对。例如讨论的话题是：两个人商量给某个共同的朋友送生日礼品，要求他们以此展开话题，各抒己见，双方通过协商、劝说，力图取得相对一致的意见（当然，因为时间所限，讨论结果是否一致并不影响口试评分）。专四口试评分标准等级复述即席讲话交谈语音语调语法优秀能有条理地复述所听材料的详细内容。能紧扣所给的题目，有条理地进行即席讲话，内容充实，言语流畅，无不必要的停顿。能根据所规定的情景和角色灵活自如地进行双向交流。语音准确，发音清晰，语调自然。语法基本正确，明显错误很少；用词恰当，词汇丰富。良好能有条理地复述所听材料的重要内容。能紧扣所给的题目，较有条理地进行即席讲话，内容比较充实，讲话中有少数不必要的停顿，但对交际无影响。能根据所规定的情景和角色比较灵活地进行双向交流。语音准确，发音清晰，语调较自然。有少数明显的语法错误，但不严重；用词较为恰当，词汇较为丰富。合格能复述所听材料的重要内容，但条理性不够。能就所给的题目进行即席讲话，但内容不够充实或少部分内容不切题，讲话中不必要的停顿次数较多，基本不影响交际。交谈内容与所规定的情景和角色大致相符，基本能进行双向交流。语音基本准确，发音较清晰，语调有点不自然。有少数严重语法错误，但不明显影响交际的进行；用词基本恰当，词汇量尚可。不合格遗漏重要内容，或复述内容与所听材料有较大出入。能就所给的题目进行即席讲话，但条理性不够，内容简单或与题目毫无关系，讲话中不必要的停顿频率太高，严重影响交际。和对方交谈有明显的困难，不能进行双向交流。语音不准确，发音不清晰，语调不自然。有严重语法错误，明显影响交际的进行；用词错误比较多，词汇量较小。TEM4-99 (Oral Test)Task II: Talk based on a given topicDescribe one of your experiences in which you had a burning desire to learn something.Task III: Role-playStudent A: You have been offered two jobs: one is working in the government and the other in a joint-venture. You feel difficult to decide which one to take. Now you go to your friend and ask for his/her advice. First of all, you and your friend are discussing the advantages and disadvantages of each option. Eventually both you and your friend have found it is not easy at all to select one job out of the two.Student B: Your friend has been offered two jobs: one is working in the government and the other in a joint-venture. S/he feels difficult to make a final decision on which one to take. Now s/he comes to you to seek your advice. First of all, you and your friend are discussing the advantages and disadvantages of each option. Eventually, both of you have found it is not easy at all to select one job out of the two.TEM4-2000 (Oral Test)Task II: Talk based on a given topicDescribe the unforgettable birthday party youve ever had.Task III: Role-playStudent A: You are a freshman who has just enrolled in your university. You are wondering about what the university life would be though you have heard a lot of it. To be honest, you are a little bit lost and afraid of the coming university life. Now you meet a sophomore of your department. You tell him/her how you feel and ask for advice. Eventually you become confident about your future again.Student B: You are a sophomore at the university. A freshman of your department comes to you to ask for advice on how to become successful in the university. You share your experience of the university life with him/her. You try to give him/her your advice. Eventually you make him/her confident about his/her future again.TEM4-2001 (Oral Test)Task II: Talk based on a given topicDescribe a teacher of yours whom you find unusual.Task III: Role-playMany high school graduates in China are going overseas for their college education. A friend of yours is graduating this year and would like to ask for your advice on whether it is a good idea for a high school graduate to go abroad to study.Student A: You think this friend should go by all means, and you should try to convince your partner. Remember you should start the conversation.Student B: You think this friend should finish college in China before thinking about going abroad, and you should try to convince your partner. Remember your partner will start the conversation.TEM4-2002 (Oral Test)Task II: Talk based on a given topicDescribe an embarrassing situation in which you got very angry.Task III: Carry out a conversation with your partner based on a given situation.The geology department of a major university is planning to admit 30 male and 5 female students. However, the results of the college entrance examination show that by average, of all the applicants, females have scored higher than most males. Should the department stick to its original plan?Student A: You think the department should still stick to the original plan, and you should try to convince your partner. Remember you should start the conversation.Student B: You DONT think the department should stick to the original plan, and you should try to convince your partner. Remember your partner will start the conversation.2003 TEM4 Oral English Test PaperTask I: Listen to the recorded passage twice and then retell it.Just as Jane was joyfully expecting her first child, her active, energetic mother began losing her battle with a brain disease. For ten years, the fiercely independent and courageous mother had fought, but none of the surgeries or treatments had been successful. At only fifty-five, she became totally disabled-unable to speak, walk, eat or dress on her own.As the mother grew closer and closer to death, the baby grew closer and closer to life. Jane was afraid that her mother and her baby would never know each other. Her fear seemed well-founded. A few weeks before her due date, her mother lapsed into a deep coma. The doctors did not hold any hope. It was useless to put in a feeding tube, they said, for Mother would never awaken. So Jane brought Mother to her own bed in her own house. As often as she could, she sat beside her mother, talking about the baby moving inside her.On February 3, 1989, at about the same time Jane began to feel birth pains, Mother opened her eyes. Jane called home.Mom, listen. My baby is coming! Youre going to have a new grandchild. Do you understand?Yes, Mother answered.What a wonderful word! The first clear word shed spoken in months.By the time Jane brought her son home, her mother was sitting in her chair, dressed and ready to welcome the baby. For two weeks, Mother clucked, smiled and held the new-born baby. Then she quietly became unconscious and, after visits from all her children, was finally free of the pain.For Jane, memories of her sons birth will always be bittersweet, but it was at this time that she learned an important truth about living. While both joy and sorrow pass quickly, and often come together at the same time, love has the power to overcome both. And love can last forever. (317 words)Task II: Talk based on a given topic.Tell a story that illustrates the need for love.Task III: Carry out a conversation with your partner based on a given situation. Student A: You will be traveling later this week and you are wondering about the advantages and safety of flying. Recent news reports of air crashes have made you nervous and you cannot decide if it is safe to travel by airplane. You turn to your friend for advice about whether you should go by air or by train. He/She tried to persuade you to take a flight by listing some advantages. Eventually, you refuse to accept his/her opinion and make your own decision.Student B: One of your friends is taking a trip later this week and he/she is undecided about whether to travel by air or by train. Not knowing what to do, your friend comes to you for advice. You try to persuade your friend to take a flight in spite of reports of air crashes. Eventually, you fail to convince him/her and your friend buys a train ticket instead.2004 TEM4 Oral English Test PaperTask I: Retell a story When she was 22 years old Pat Jones decided that she wanted to travel around the world and see as many foreign places as she could while she was young. When she finished college at home in Britain Pat chose to visit Latin America first, so she managed to get a job as an English teacher in a secondary school in Bolivia. Pat spoke a little Spanish, so she was able to communicate with her students even though they did not know much English. A sentence she had once read somewhere stuck in her mind: if you dream in a foreign language, it means that you have really mastered it. Pat repeated this sentence to her students and she hoped that someday she would dream in Spanish and they would dream in English. One day Tim, one of the worst students in her class, came up to her and explained in Spanish that he had not done his homework. He said that he had gone to bed early and had slept badly. Pat was quite angry with him, for she did not think that his explanation had anything to do with his homework. But Tim told her that he dreamed all night and his dream was in English. In English! Pat thought. She was greatly surprised, since Tim was such a bad student. She was also secretly jealous. Her dreams were still not in Spanish, but she decided to encourage her student and asked him to tell her about his dream. All the people in my dream spoke English, Tim said. And all the signs were in English. All the newspapers and magazines and all the TV programs were in English. But thats wonderful, said Pat. What did all the people say to you? she asked. Im sorry, Miss Jones. Thats why I slept so badly all through the night. I didnt understand a word they said. It was a nightmare! Tim answered. (324 words)Task II: Talk based on a given topicDescribe one of the most unpleasant dreams youve ever had.Task III: Role-playStudent A: Nowadays higher education is getting more and more expensive. To quite a number of families it has become a big financial burden. You try to discuss this problem with student B. You think that parents should pay tuition for their children since college students do not yet have any regular income.Student B: Nowadays higher education is getting more and more expensive. To quite a number of families, it has become a big financial burden. You try to discuss this problem with student A Your opinion is that it is unfair to put this big burden on parents since college students are already adults. Students themselves should find ways to pay their own tuitions2005 TEM4 Oral English Test PaperTask I: Retell a storyA little girl whose parents had died lived with her grandmother and slept in an upstairs bedroom.One night there was a fire in the house and the grandmother died while trying to rescue the child. The fire spread quickly, and the first floor of the house was soon engulfed in flames.Neighbors called the fire department, then stood helplessly by, unable to enter the house because flames blocked all the entrances. The little girl appeared at an upstairs window, crying for help, just as word spread among the crowd that firefighters would be delayed a few minutes because they were all at another fire.Suddenly, a man appeared with a ladder, put it up against the side of the house and disappeared inside. When he reappeared, he had the little girl in his arms. He delivered the child to the waiting arms below, then disappeared into the night.An investigation revealed that the child had no living relatives, and weeks later a meeting was held in the town hall to determine who would take the child into their home and bring her up.A teacher said she would like to raise the child. She pointed out that she could ensure her a good education. A farmer offered her an upbringing on his farm. He pointed out that living on a farm was healthy and satisfying. Others spoke, giving their reasons why it was to the childs advantage to live with them.Finally, the towns richest resident rose and said, “I can give this child all the advantages that you have mentioned here, plus money and everything that money can buy.”Throughout all this, the child remained silent, her eyes on the floor.“Does anyone else want to speak?” asked the meeting chairman. A man came forward from the back of the hall. His gait was slow and he appeared to be in pain. When he got to the front of the room, he stood directly in front of the little girl and held out his arms. His hands and arms were terribly scarred.The child cried out. “This is the man who rescued me!” With a leap, she threw her arms around the mans neck. She buried her face on his shoulder and sobbed for a few moments. Then she looked up and smiled at him. (387 words)Task II: Talk based on a given topicPlease tell us one incident in which someone was trying to help others despite danger to his own safety.Task III: Role-playStudent A: The manager of a world-famous hotel wants to recruit a new member as the hotels bellboy, offering him a salary of 3,000 yuan per month. Many university graduates are competing for the position. As a sophomore in the university, you think that they are applying for a job unworthy for their talents. Try to persuade your partner that you are right. Remember you will initiate the conversation.Student B: The manager of a world-famous hotel wants to recruit a new member as the hotels bellboy, offering him a salary of 3,000 yuan per month. Many university graduates are competing for the position. As a sophomore in the university, you think that it is courageous for them to make such a decision and they have made the correct choice. Try to persuade your partner that you are right. Remember your partner will initiate the conversation.TEM4-Oral 2006Task I: Retell a storyA philosophy professor stood before his class and had some items in front of him. When class began, wordlessly he picked up a large empty glass jar and proceeded to fill it with rocks right to the top, rocks about two inches in diameter.He then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it was.The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles, of course, rolled into the open spaces between the rocks. The students laughed.He asked his students again if the jar was full. They agreed: yes, it was.The professor then picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar.Of course, the sand filled up all the remaining space.“Now.” said the professor, “I want you to recognize that this is your life.”The rocks are the important thingsyour family, your partner, your health, your childrenanything that is so important to you that if it were lost, you would be nearly destroyed. The pebbles are the other things in life that matter, but on a smaller scale. The pebbles represent things like your job, your house, your car. The sand is everything else, the small staff.If you put the sand or the pebbles into the jar first, there is no room for the rocks. The same goes for your life. If you spend all your energy and time on the small stuff, or material things, you will never have room for the things that are truly most important. Pay attention to the things that are critical in your life. Play with your children. Take your partner out dancing. Talk with your parents. There will always be time to go to work, clean the house, give a dinner party and fix the disposal. “Take care of the rocks firstthe things that really matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just pebbles and sand. They will take care of themselves.” (340 words)Task II: Talking on a given topicDescribe a lesson you have learned which has enriched your life experience.Task III: Role-playingStudent A: You and your friend are discussing what you are going to do together during this coming summer vacation. Your friend prefers to work in a big company to earn some money. You prefer to do some voluntary work for society. You try to persuade each other by giving various reasons. Remember you will initiate the conversation.Student B: You and your friend are discussing what you are going to do together during this coming summer vacation. Your friend prefers to do some voluntary work for society. You prefer to work in a big company to earn some money. You try to persuade each other by giving various reasons. Remember your partner will initiate the conversation.T