2019年12月英语四级听力真题原文及答案：听力篇章2

Passage 2 西雅图并不是一座像人们想象的那样下雨很多的城市

[19] Today I found out that Seattle doesn’t really get that much rain compared with most US cities. In fact, Seattle ranks 44th among major US cities in average annual rainfall. Cities that get more rainfall than Seattle include Huston, Memphis, Nashville, and pretty much every major city on the eastern coast, such as New York, Boston, and Miami.

So, why does everyone think of Seattle as a rainy city? The primary root of this misconception lies in that Seattle has a relatively large number of days per year with rainfall compared with New York and Boston, which get an average of about 16% more rain per year than Seattle, but also average between them about 36 fewer days a year of rainfall. So it rains a lot less in Seattle. And the rain is spread out over more days than those cities. This is why few locals in Seattle carry an umbrella generally. [20] When it does rain, it tends to be a very light rain that isn’t troublesome. It almost never really rains as most people think. On top of that, it never really storms in Seattle, either. Seattle gets an average of a mere 7 days a year with thunder.

So in short, if you like [21] sunny but not too hot summers, mild winters but with lots of cloudy days, Seattle’s the place to be. Anyway, if you visit Seattle, don’t bring an umbrella. People will look at you, thinking you are funny.

Questions 19-21 are based on the passage you have just heard.

Q19. What does the speaker find out about Seattle?

C) It does not rain as much as people think.

Q20. Why do local people in Seattle seldom carry an umbrella?

B) The rain is usually very light.

Q21. Why does the speaker say ‘Seattle is a good place to be’?

D) It has mild weather both in summer and in winter.