详情
英语四级考试虽然已经结束了。但是下一次四六级考试还会远吗？所以还是要早早备考的哦，今天小编为大家分享的是英语四级新闻听力，希望通过这篇文章的学习对你们有所帮助，下面跟随小编一起学习吧。
一、听力练习
1.
A. To call for equal education opportunities.
B. To the government's plan to reform the retirement system.
C. To protest against government's plan to reduce public welfare.
D. To call for ban on government subsidy to private companies.
2.
A. People working for private businesses.
B. People working for state-owned companies.
C. People working for overseas companies.
D. People working for transportation companies.
二、听力文本
The Eiffel Tower closed down and France's high-speed trains stood still Thursday as labor unions launched nationwide strikes. The unions are protesting the government's plan to reform the retirement system. Officials in Paris set up barriers around the home of France's president and deployed 6,000 police officers as activists gathered for a march through the city. Many of the protesters wore yellow vests. The strikes are the biggest test to the president since the yellow vest movement for economic justice was launched a year ago. Organizers hope a mass show of anger toward his reform plan will force the government to make concessions. To Macron, the reforms are central to his effort to make France more competitive internationally. His government argues that the country's 42 retirement systems need to be simpler and more effective. All French retirees receive a government pension, but there are differences across the retirement systems. People working for private businesses are part of the general pension system. They make up about seven in 10 workers. But experts and professionals in many fields have a special pension plan. Some people, like railroad workers and flight crews, are permitted to take early retirement. Others, like doctors and lawyers, pay less tax. Macron wants to replace the retirement system with a unified plan, so that all workers have the same pension rights. While some private sector workers welcome Macron's reform, others support the strikers. Public sector workers fear Macron's reform will force them to work longer than those in the private sector. They also fear it will reduce the size of their pensions. They see the strike as an effort to save France's protections for workers.
Question 1: According to the news report, why did the labor unions launch nationwide strikes?
Question 2: According to the news report, which of the following is the largest part of the general pension system?
三、重点词汇
1. barrier: a long pole, fence, wall, or natural feature, such as a mountain or sea, that stops people from going somewhere 隔栏；屏障；障碍物
2. deploy: to move soldiers or equipment to a place where they can be used when they are needed 部署；调动
3. concession: something that is allowed or given up, often in order to end a disagreement, or the act of allowing or giving this （常指为结束争端而作出的）认可，让与，让步，妥协
4. pension: an amount of money paid regularly by the government or a private company to a person who does not work any more because they are too old or have become ill 养老金；退休金；抚恤金
5. unify: to bring together; combine 整合；统一；使成一体
四、背景知识
继5日80多万人后，法国9日又开始新一轮反对改革退休制度的全国大。造成巴黎等多个城市交通瘫痪，全国陷入严重的社会危机。分析人士认为，法国的退休制度改革计划不仅触动民众利益，还引发民众对精英阶层不满，面临巨大阻力。如何在改革需求和民众利益之间达成平衡，将考验法国总统马克龙的执政能力和智慧。触动民众利益法国养老金体系赤字严重，2021年为29亿欧元，按现状预计2025年将达到79亿至172亿欧元之间。法国媒体指出，由于人口老龄化、生育率低、失业率高，法国目前现收现付制的退休制度造成不断通过大量注资来维持国家养老金账户的正常运行，财政难以为继。有鉴于此，马克龙希望建立一个全民统一的积分体系。有分析认为，一旦改为以积分制为基础的基金制，养老基金的构成将更多地取决于劳动者所缴纳的养老费数额，可以逐步削减对养老基金的补贴，同时退休制度也会变得更加公平。然而在民众看来，这一改革将损害自身利益。一旦采用统一的退休制度，包括铁路和公交系统在内的很多行业原本丰厚的退休金都会不同程度下降，因此这部分行业的从业者尤其反对马克龙的改革计划，希望维持原有身份特权。同时，改革还将导致法国人工作年限延长。目前一些公共部门人员50岁就可退休，私人机构雇员可在62岁退休，但新的退休制度规定工作到满64岁才能拿到满额退休金，提前退休意味着退休金会相应减少。这一点遭到劳动阶层的普遍反对，他们要求维持现有的退休年龄。
五、参考答案
Question 1: B
Question 2: A