SECTION 4 Questions 31-40 (2012 年8 月25 日 2011 年10 月29日 2007 年6 月2 日 2006 年10 月14 日 2006 年3 月25 日 2005 年7 月16日 2005 年5 月28 日)

Questions 31-37

Complete the notes below.

Write NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS for each answer.

Questions 38-40

Complete the table below.

Write NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER for each answer.

SECTION 4

We’ve been talking about choosing building materials in the last week. Now, a great many factors influence the choice of building materials. You can’t make a house of cards, right? And “people who live in glass houses…” and all that…Anyhow, today I’d like to say a few words about flooring.

Some artificial materials can be used, like plastic for instance, which offer mixed blessings when used as a flooring surface. On the one hand, plastic is cheaper than nearly any other alternative, short of bare ground. Plastic also does not warp like wood. On the other hand, the best that can be said about plastic is that it “looks like” wood or stone. However, it cannot replace the real materials. As I have mentioned, I’m fixing up a new house. The decorator my wife hired told me, “Plastic does a great job of looking exactly like plastic.” Besides, it scratches easily, fades or discolors, and starts cracking within a year or two. So, if you’re fitting out a sleazy hotel or plan to live in a trailer park, go with the plastic. Really, though, for all intents and purposes, this leaves us with wood or stone as choices for flooring.

Stone and wood are alike in at least one respect: both go through processing before they can be put to use. Since few of us cut our own lumber or quarry our own stone, this is not perhaps a pressing concern. Still, do-ityourselfers would do well to remember to buy only properly seasoned wood. Unseasoned wood warps and a warped floor quickly becomes firewood (and its owner quickly becomes poorer). Likewise, except for dull-hued materials like slate or sandstone, most stone floors are polished before installation. The choice goes well beyond just wood or stone – each type requires many further considerations. A few special remarks are called for when considering wood, for example. As always, aesthetics, personal taste, and layout all play roles as well as the type of house or room. Oh, and certainly don’t forget the cost. When it comes to cost, a rule of thumb is that the softer and less exotic the wood, the lower the cost. In the U.S., for instance, pine is both ubiquitous and cheap. Mahogany is imported and exorbitantly expensive. If you’re on any kind of budget when remodeling, it’s really helpful to remember to go for the softer woods.

Aside from cost, there are still lots of different factors that are important in choosing the best flooring for the job. Continuing with the example of wood, one must consider the effects of each type of wood on the mood of the room. When selecting the best wood to use, particular attention needs to be paid to its grain patterns, texture, and color.

In rooms where relaxation or deep thought is the aim – say bedrooms or the study – dark, strong grained woods are the rule. Here the grain ought to match the furniture for a feeling of homogeneity. In rooms where activity and motion are typical – the dining room or living room – lighter, finer-grained lumber is more suitable. In such a setting, the wood grain might be useful in offering a contrast to the furniture. This leads to a feel of subconscious excitement, in keeping with the room’s function.

In either case, though, consult a decorator. It is a decorator’s job to know what materials to use to fit the function of the room. Though some things about putting together a room are subjective and based on one’s individual taste, materials appropriate to a room’s function are much more straightforward. A decorator takes the needs of the customer and uses a mathematical formula, rather than subjective words. Since feelings vary from person to person, verbal descriptions of wood types tend to be ambiguous. You want the wood you select, not something approximate! And if you do decide to do it yourself, remember that all wood must be treated with preservatives to enhance its appearance and preserve its natural beauty.

In the case of stone, or “quarry tile” as flat-cut flooring stone is properly called, a new set of considerations must be weighed up. Simple color aside, the degree of reflection must be kept in mind. This is called the “reflectance rate”, which is expressed in a number between 0.0 and 1.0, depending on the amount of light it reflects.

At one end of the scale is polished silver. At a rating of 1.0, this shiny surface reflects nearly all of the light directed at it. Numbers closer to zero describe materials that absorb more light. Moving down the scale a bit, we see the plastic that has been painted white has a rate of 0.8, which makes sense. We know that the color white reflects all other color while black absorbs all color, and plastic itself is a relatively reflective material.

Materials that are denser and darker have reflectance rates much closer to zero. The quarry tile I mentioned a while ago has a rate of 0.1. As you may know, quarry tile is generally dark brown and made from clay so it is quite dense. Of course, there is considerable variation among types of quarry tile because of the hue or treatment of the clay during its creation.

Does anyone have guesses as to what materials may have a rate of almost 0.0? We can guess most of these materials are black in color, but plastic, wood, and even stone reflect some light. One material with a rate of almost 0.0 is black velvet. The texture produces almost no shine at all.

Carrera marble, despite its white hue, is actually lower in reflectivity than black onyx! In any case, the fact that tiles vary somewhat should not be forgotten. A highly reflective floor would not be suitable in a library; it would be indispensible in a ballroom (should your home be large enough to feature one). Again, a rule of thumb is that “light means lively”. Since form and material follow function, one should only use the more reflective materials in rooms where the cultivation and expression of energy is important. Bear in mind too that most types of stone cost more than all but the rarest of wood.

Of course, there is no reason why some rooms of a house should not feature wood floors or other stone tiles. You can even mix the two. A room with wood panels on the walls can have a beautiful stone floor. My bedroom has white birch walls and a light blue slate floor. The place looks like a Russian hunting lodge. Remember, though, go with what feels right for you. Good taste and the “laws” of interior design are the home-owner’s servants, not his master. It’s only beautiful when you decide it is. I mean, you’re the one who lives there, not the decorator, right? OK, are there any questions?

Section 4 解析

31 答案 plastic

对于提纲类的句子填空，定位一定要贴近空格处，因此尤其要注意介词like，当然录音有可能会换成such as、for example 等词组。本题比较直观，文中直接提到like plastic for instance，所以答案应为plastic。此外，后面也重复提到plastic，所以对于那些反复提及的内容也需多加注意。

32 答案 processing

贴近空格处的undergo 在原文中被替换成go through 一词，所以紧跟着的processing 需要进行填写了。有的同学可能听到了一句：before they can be put to use，然而此题空格处应填写名词性词汇。显然“before they can be put to use”一句中并没有合适的词汇可作为答案。

33 答案 seasoned

通过预判词性可以得知本题应填写V-ed 形式。在听到“since few of us cut our own lumber”时，就应该注意搜索V-ed 形式的单词了，因为lumber 与wood 是同义词，而之后的句子中也只有seasoned 为被动形式。

34 答案 polished

同上。题中主语stone 可以听到，此处也应填写V-ed 形式，随后录音中出现的polished一词即为答案。

35 答案 cost

本题稍有难度，不过录音中cost 这个名词重复了数遍。我们不奢求同学们理解全部意思，却必须得知道反复提及之处也就是想着重强调的内容，而该内容极有可能就是答案了。

36 答案 grain patterns

本题比较容易听出录音中出现了几个并列名词，只是在拼写时需要注意。而pattern 这个单词在剑桥8 Test 1 Section 4 中也有出现，由此我们不难看出雅思听力的答案范围实际上比较有限。一定要注重场景词汇的听写。

37 答案 words

通过预判词性，可知本题应填写名词性词汇，且为复数形式。我们在听录音时，需要着重听subjective 所修饰的复数名词即可。

38 答案 0.8

数字题不进行过多解释，但是要注意0.8 也可读成point eight，此时的0 可以省略不读。

39 答案 0.1

同上。

40 答案 black velvet

本题基本上很多同学选择放弃了，因为单词不会拼写。原句：One material with a rate of almost 0.0 is black velvet. 既然此处需要填写material，那么只能是名词black velvet ( 黑色天鹅绒) 为答案。