2014年12月英语四级听力冲刺练习15
英语四级听力部分算是同学们考试时的难点吧。听力这部分不能急于求成，需要时间来练习。对于这部分同学们平时在积累词汇的基础上多加练习就可以，听的多了就能掌握技巧，距离12月份的四六级考试还有一段时间，同学每天练习一点听力，考试时听力就能取得高分了。听力音频点击下载.mp3
听力材料：
Violent protests have ended in Ferguson, Missouri.But blacks in the Midwestern city -- and in otherplaces in the United States -- say they are still angryabout how they are treated by police officers.
On Monday, a grand jury announced there was notenough evidence to send police officer DarrenWilson to trial. Officer Wilson -- who is white -- shotblack teenager Michael Brown six times during anargument in early August. Officer Wilson said hefeared for his life. Michael Brown died at the place where the shooting happened. Somewitnesses said he was running from the officer when he was shot. But an examination found hemay have been trying to take the police officer's weapon from him.
County prosecutor Robert McCulloch said the grand jury was given five possible charges toconsider, but decided against approving any of them. He said the jurors met for 25 days andheard 70 hours of testimony from 60 people. Some of them witnessed the shooting. Mr.McCulloch said some of the witnesses disagreed with other witnesses.
The announcement that the grand jury did not find a reason to believe that Officer Wilsonmight be guilty of a crime was followed by two days of unrest in Ferguson. They destroyedbusinesses and police cars. Police arrested at least 61 people. But after violence on Mondayand Tuesday, protesters began to hold peaceful gatherings.
Other people unhappy with the decision gathered in cities across the United States to protesttheir belief that police did not treat black Americans fairly. Some protesters were arrested in LosAngeles and Oakland, California, but there was little violence. Protests also took place in NewYork City, Washington, D.C., Cleveland, St. Louis and Seattle.
President Barack Obama said those who rioted in Ferguson were criminals and should bepunished. But America's first black president said he understands why people are unhappywith the grand jury's decision. He said the anger of the protestors has, in his words, "deeproots in many communities of color who have a sense that our laws are not always beingenforced uniformly or fairly."
Michael Brown's family and supporters said they were disappointed by the decision. Theycalled it "completely unfair."
Officer Wilson told ABC News earlier in the week that he did his job right. He said he does notbelieve he could have done anything differently.
On Thursday, some people helped business owners in Ferguson repair their buildings.
Before the announcement, Michael Brown's father asked people to react calmly to whateverthe 12 members of the grand jury decided. He said hurting others or destroying property "isnot the answer" to anger about what some believe is injustice. Missouri Governor Jay Nixoncalled for "peace, respect and restraint," and deployed more than 2,000 National Guardsmen tothe city to support state and local police. But they were unable to stop the violence.
The shooting of Michael Brown showed tensions between police and the mostly black residentsof Ferguson. Almost all of the city's police officers are white. Sam Fulwood III is with the Centerfor American Progress. He told VOA that, in 1980, 80 percent of the people who lived inFerguson were white, but by 2010, 85 percent of the population was black. However, thepolice force and the town's leaders remained mostly white. Few of the town's black residentsvote.
Some people in Ferguson are trying to improve relations between citizens and police officers.Tommie Pierson is the pastor, or leader, of the Greater St. Mark Family Church in St. Louis. Thechurch is near a business that was destroyed in the rioting on Monday. Church officials trainedpeople how to protest nonviolently.
On Thursday morning, Pastor Pierson spoke to a few people who attended a religiousceremony about a group that the state's governor has asked to study police actions inFerguson.
"And I hope that the commission that the governor has set up will understand that youcannot expect me to act the way you act when I have not been exposed to the level ofeducation that you have been exposed to."
Loretha Cain is a college student who attends religious services at the church every Sunday.She criticized those who reacted violently.
"I feel like some people like, they feel like they have to be negative in order to get attention,but I feel like if we do things that are positive, we can be able to show other people that we canlearn from this situation in a healthy manner, and hopefully it allows our community to growtogether instead of fall apart."
Pastor Pierson believes the study group will help ease tensions in the city.
"I, I know a number of those people on the commission. They're good people, men and womenof faith. And I think that faith will rise to the occasion and will allow them to do what is in thebest interest of the people."
Protests continued in the Ferguson area on Friday, the day after the Thanksgiving holiday. ManyAmericans begin buying Christmas gifts on that day. Some protestors urged people to boycottstores to show their disagreement with the grand jury's decision.
The U.S. Justice Department is investigating the shooting and the actions of the Fergusonpolice department. And President Obama has called on Americans to consider the difficultiesfaced by minorities in the United States. He said he knew that some people were, in his words, "deeply disappointed, even angry" about the grand jury's decision. But he urged Americansto accept it.
The top Democrat in the U.S. House of Representatives said she was disappointed by thegrand jury's decision. Nancy Pelosi said actions need to be taken to help blacks in America.
"The reaction, I think, obviously needs to be addressed. That is to say, there is anunhappiness, a, discontent in our communities about the relationship of everyone."
And the top human rights official at the United Nations said the U.S. should examine how racerelations affect law enforcement.
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