崔万龙2016年6月大学英语四六级改革解读一. 改动在哪里?四级:1. 取消短对话2. 取消单词及词组听写3. 新增短篇新闻听力(3段)调整后的四级听力结构:六级:1. 取消短对话2. 取消单词及词组听写3. 短文听力由3篇缩减至2篇4. 新增讲座、讲话听力(3篇)调整后的六级听力结构:六级至此我们可知,新四六级听力保留了长对话和短文听力两类题型,只在题目数量上有所调整,而此次主要的变动在于新增了四级的“短篇新闻听力”和六级的“讲座/讲话听力”,而且删除掉了听写部分的题型。
新增的两种全新的题型在解题上也对考生们产生了新的要求,接下来请大家和我一起来认识一下这两种全新题型。
二. 四级的“短篇新闻听力”和六级的“讲座/讲话听力”是什么?四级“短篇新闻听力”:选取短篇幅新闻稿件,作为听力素材,基于该段新闻的内容,设置单选题,共三段新闻,七道题。
从官方提供的样题中可见其特点:新四级样题新闻听力第一段:样题题干:Questions 1 and 2 will be based on the following news item.1. A) Christmas-time attacks made by Somali rebels.B) An explosion at a bus station in central Nairobi.C) The killing of more than 70 Ugandans in Kampala.D) Blasts set off by a Somali group in Uganda’s capital.2. A) On Christmas Eve. C) During a security check.B) Just before midnight. D) In the small hours of the morning.【题型解读】题干部分仍旧仅提供选项,从选项内容上看,句子整体的难度无论是在用词上还是句子结构上,与四级听力选项一贯的难度是一致的,但是选项中大量出现考生较为陌生的专有名词,如地名“Somali”,“Kampala”,“Nairobi”等,这些词不仅形态陌生,而且读音往往也不好辨认,对考生来说是一个挑战,并且可以想象,作为新闻稿件,频繁出现专业名词、专业说法将成为常规现象,各位考生务必做好准备,第一学会将这些专业名词符号化,第二进一步加强自己对语音音节构成的认知,正确不让这些专业名词在听力过程中干扰自己。
样题原文:1.Kenyan police say one person was killed and 26 injured in an explosion at a bus station in central Nairobi. The blast hit a bus about to set off for the Ugandan capital Kampala. Last July, the Somali group al-Shabab said it was behind the blasts in the Ugandan capital which killed more than 70 people. Will Ross reports from the Kenyan capital.The explosion happened beside a bus which was about to set off for an overnight journey from Nairobi to the Ugandan capital Kampala. Some eyewitnesses report that a bag was about to be loaded on board, 2.but it exploded during a security check. Windows of the red bus were left smashed, and blood could be seen on the ground beside the vehicle. Just hours earlier, Uganda’s police chief had warned of possible Christmas-time attacks by Somali rebels.1. What is the news report mainly about?B2. When did the incident occur? C【题型解读】样题中三篇短篇新闻听力全部来自BBC,字数最少的一篇为130词左右,最长的一篇为190词左右,特点是1.长难句较多,2.大量出现专业名词或专业性的叙述。
由于新闻的内容偏专业性,离日常生活比较远,听力难度较之前的短对话无疑是大大增加的,但在这种情况下,选项所涉及的内容和新闻原文的内容一定是高度一致的,能够最大程度地提供预判素材,所以阅读选项变得更为重要,结合选项对新闻内容作出大致预判成为听力过程顺畅与否的关键。
由于新闻稿件有其特殊的行文方式和行文风格,所以考生需要重视日常的新闻素材听力训练,第一在文体上,熟悉新闻稿件的形式,第二在听力感受上,熟悉新闻稿件的听力特点,纵观历年历次四级考试改革,此次听力题型改动无疑将四级听力对考生的要求推向了“听力能力考查”的巅峰,应试技巧被削弱,所以崔万龙老师为广大考生总结了新闻文体特点以方便大家静听练习:(一)新闻报道“六大要素”新闻报道里的“六大要素”即常说的“人物(who)、时间(when)、地点(where)、事件(what)、原因(why)和方式(how)”。
在英语短新闻或内容提要中至少包括其中三个要素:who,what和when,这些是新闻报道中最具价值的三要素(二)倒金字塔结构所谓倒金字塔结构,也称为倒叙法,即按新闻事实重要程度由要点到细节逐步扩展,安排全文。
倒金字塔结构把最重要的事实置于全文的第一句中,即新闻导语(the news lead)。
导语告知听众最新鲜、最关心、最重要的事实,如事件(what)、时间(when)、地点(where)、人物(who),以及原因(why)和方式(how)。
新闻导语是对整条新闻内容的高度概括,听懂了导语,也就听懂了新闻的主要内容。
当然,由于新闻报道的侧重点不同,有时新闻导语可能只包含其中的几个要素。
(三)新闻英语词汇特点1. 常用词汇表示特殊含义新闻报道常使用某些常见词汇来表达事实和事件,这些词汇经过长期使用逐渐取得与新闻报道相联系的特殊意义,成为新闻体词语(journalistic words)。
例如,horror一词是新闻标题中常用的词,用以表示“不幸事故或暴力行动”,再如nadir常指“两国关系的最低点”。
2. 大量使用缩略词缩略词具有节省时间、新颖生动的特点,在英语新闻广播中广泛使用,主要是为了节省时间。
在英语新闻广播中,一般在播出某个缩略的全称以后,再提到时就使用它的缩略词。
3. 使用“小词”小词(midget words)即简短词,一般为单音节词。
小词在新闻英语中被广泛使用的原因一是报纸篇幅有限,用小词可以免于移行,二是小词的词义范畴很广,比较生动灵活。
新闻英语称这类词为synonyms of all work (万能同义词),如表示“破坏”或“损坏”的动词,一般会用一些较简短的词,如hit, harm, hurt或ruin等;又如表示“放弃”,一般会用drop, give up, quit 或skip等;表示“爆炸”之类的意义时,一般会用blast, crash或smash等4. 地名、建筑物名称借用在英语新闻中,我们时常会听到记者用各国首都名称代表国家或政府,用建筑物及街道名称代表有关政府机构。
如:WASHINGTON, July 25—The White House today threatened for the first time to…此处WhiteHouse(白宫)代表美国政府。
再如:The Chinese Embassy in Washington criticized the Pentagon report onMonday…此处Pentagon(五角大楼)代表美国国防部。
六级的“讲座/讲话听力:选取讲座或演讲的录音作为听力素材,基于内容设置单选题,一共三篇讲座或演讲,共10题。
从官方提供的样题中可见其特点:新六级样题讲座/讲话听力第三段:样题题干:Now listen to the following recording and answer questions 23 to 25.23. A) The guaranteed quality of its goods.B) The huge volume of its annual sales.C) The service it provides to its customers.D) The high value-to-weight ratio of its goods.24. A) Those having a taste or smell component.B) Products potentially embarrassing to buy.C) Those that require very careful handling.D) Services involving a personal element.25. A) Those who live in the virtual world.B) Those who have to work long hours.C) Those who are used to online transactions.D) Those who don’t mind paying a little more.【题型解读】选项难度和六级听力选项一贯难度保持一致,结合样题中的三篇演讲题的选项,由长句子构成的选项明显变得更多,对考生预习选项的能力有了更高的要求,此为难点一;由于讲座、演讲的内容总是和某一专业性主题相关,所以在内容上容易出现专业性较强的表述,如样题中23题的D 选项“The high value-to-weight ratio of its goods.”,在阅读选项的时候,这些选项会造成不小障碍,此为难点二。
样题原文:Now listen to the following recording and answer questions 23 to 25.I’d like to look at a vital aspect of e-commerce, and that is the nature of the product or service. There are certain products and services that are very suitable for selling online, and others that simply don’t work.23.Suitable products generally have a high value-to-weight ratio. Items such as CDs and DVDs are obvious examples. Books, although heavier and so more expensive to post, 23.still have a high enough value-to-weight ratio, as the success of Amazon, which started off selling only books, shows. Laptop computers are another good product for selling online.Digital products, such as software, films and music, can be sold in a purely virtual environment. The goods are paid for by online transactions, andthen download ed onto the buyer’s computer. There are no postage or delivery costs, so prices can be kept low.Many successful virtual companies provide digital services, such as financial transactions, in the case of Paypal, or means of communication, as Skype does. The key to success here is providing an easy-to-use, reliable service. Do this and you can easily become the market leader, as Skype has proved.Products which are potentially embarrassing to buy also do well in the virtual environment. Some of the most profitable e-commerce companies are those selling sex-related products or services. For a similar reason, online gambling is highly popular.24. Products which are usually considered unsuitable for selling online include those that have a taste or smell component. Food, especially fresh food, falls into this category, along with perfume. Clothes and other items that need to be tried on such as diamond rings and gold necklaces are generally not suited to virtual retailing, and, of course, items with a low value-to-weight ratio.There are exceptions, though. Online grocery shopping has really taken off, with most major supermarkets offering the service. The inconvenience of not being able to see the food you are buying is outweighed by the time saved and convenience of having the goods delivered. 25.Typical users of online supermarkets include the elderly, people who work long hours and those without their own transport.23 What is important to the success of an online store?D24. What products are unsuitable for selling online?A25. Who are more likely to buy groceries online? B【题型解读】新六级的讲座/讲话听力素材来源比较复杂,样题中第一篇来自托福原题,第二篇来自VOA,最长的一篇原文字数达到了450词。