全国英语专业四级口语考试仍然采用录音口试，将于笔试一周后举行。根据大纲要求，口试内容将分解为三项：

（1） 复述故事（听两遍故事后复述3分种）；

（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）。

2001：

Task1: Retelling a story

①I once knew an old man whose bad memory made him famous. John Smith was so forgetful that he sometimes forget what he was talking about in the middle of a sentence. His wife had to constantly remind him about his meetings, his classes – even his meals! ②Once he forgot he had eaten breakfast twice, at home and at school. His wife liked to remind her neighbors, “If John didn’t have his head tied on. He would forget that too!” ③Since Smith was a professor at a well-known university, his forgetfulness was often an embarrassment. It wasn’t that he was not clever, as some critical people tended to say, but just very, very absent-minded.

④One hot summer day, Professor Smith decided to take his children to a seaside town about a three-hour train ride away. To make the trip more interesting for his young children, he kept the name of the town a secret. ⑤However, by the time they arrived at the station, Smith forgot the name of the town he was planning to visit. Luckily, a friend of his happened to be in the station. He offered to take care of the children while Smith hurried back home to find out where he was going.

⑥The professor’s wife was surprised to see him again so soon.

“Oh, my dear, I forgot the name the town.”

“What? You forgot the name? Maybe one day you will forget my name! Now I’ll write the name of that town on a piece of paper, and you put it in your pocket and please, please don’t forget where you put it.”

⑦Satisfied that she had solved the problem, she sent her husband off again. Ten minutes later she was astonished to see him outside the house for the third time.

“What is the matter now?”

“As you told me, I didn’t forget where I put the name of that town, but I forgot where I left our children!”

Task2: Talking on a given topic

Directions: Describe a teacher of yours whom you find unusual.

Task3: Role-playing

Directions: Many 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.

2002: