英语四级听力习题：

　　29.

　　A. He wanted to remain popular with the audience.

　　B. He wished to give more performances.

　　C. He didn't trust others.

　　D. He was extremely anxious about its negative effect.

　　30.

　　A. He was refused to give performances in 1804.

　　B. He was not able to compose in 1804.

　　C. He was becoming very difficult to be with in 1804.

　　D. He attempted to kill himself in 1804.

　　31.

　　A. He didn't kill himself because of his friends.

　　B. He remained single all his life.

　　C. He was always not easy to be with.

　　D. He had few friends in his life.

　　英语四级听力材料

　　Beethoven probably began to go deaf in 1797, but he tried to keep it a secret, while consulting doctors and trying various remedies, such as the application of almond oil. [29]He was extremely anxious about its possible effect on his career as a musician, and embarrassed by its effect on his social life. In the summer of 1801 he wrote to two friends expressing the anxiety that his best years would pass "without my being able to achieve all that my talent and my strength have commanded me to do". Although tempted to kill himself, "the only thing that held me back was my art. For indeed it seemed to me impossible to leave this world before I had produced all the works that I felt the urge to compose". It could be argued that Beethoven's deafness helped the development of his art: isolated from the world, and unable to perform, he could devote all his time to composing. [30]In 1804 his friend Stephan von Breuning, with whom he briefly shared lodgings, wrote to Franz Wegler about the terrible effect his gradual loss of hearing was having on Beethoven: it had caused him to distrust his friends, and he was becoming very difficult to be with. But above all else, Beethoven was dedicated to his art and the urge to compose remained with him throughout his life. [31]It may be that he shielded away from the commitment of marriage because he knew it would interfere with his art.

　　Questions 29 to 31 are based on the passage you have just heard.

　　英语四级参考答案

　　29. Why did Beethoven try to conceal his going deaf?

　　正确答案：D

　　解析：短文开头就说贝多芬不愿透露自己耳聋的消息，并紧接着说明了原因：“他极为担心这个消息对他作为一位音乐家的事业可能带来的影响，他也不知道该如何处理该消息对他的社交生活产生的影响。”D(他对它的负面影响极为担心)全面概括了相关内容，故正确。

　　30. What was the result from Beethoven's gradual loss of hearing in 1804?

　　正确答案：C

　　解析：短文中提到，1804年，贝多芬的朋友在信中说：“失去听力使他(贝多芬)不相信朋友，他变得非常难以相处。”故C正确。由选项中共同的时间可知，本题问1804年发生在“他”身上的事情。听到“In 1804”即当留意选项中对应的关键词。C为原词再现。

　　31. What do we know about Beethoven in this passage?

　　正确答案：B

　　解析：短文最后说：“情况可能是这样：因为他知道结婚会影响他的艺术创作，所以他逃避了婚姻的承诺。”言下之意是，贝多芬一辈子未婚，故B正确。四个选项主语都是He，但具体内容互不相干，须听记所有相关信息并做出相应标记。

（实习编辑：王晓晓）