12月新英语四级考试听力短对话部分试题评析

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以下是小编整理的12月新英语四级考试听力短对话部分试题评析，本文共8篇，欢迎阅读与收藏。

篇1：12月新英语四级考试听力短对话部分试题评析

新题型听力短对话缩减为8个题目，难度和出题方式依然保持了以往的特征，但与此同时，也给了我们新的启示，笔者在对这8个题目进行比较深度的剖析后，体会颇深，写下文字，希望能和同行共勉，更希望能给今后参加考试的同学一些帮助。

一、生活习语的运用及考察

四级考试听力参照了托福考试的出题方式，因此，生活习语这一种托福中常见的考察手法也运用到了四级考试当中，但难度却并没有让中国一般的大学生们感到畏惧，据笔者观察，生活习语也只是对话的一小部分，更重要的是，习语并不会成为解题的关键。不象有一年的托福考试，第二个人的回答仅仅只有“no kidding”这个词组，如果考生不懂，那肯定就不知道怎么选择答案了。我们回过来，举个本次四级考试的例子，考试第11题：

m：christmas is around the corner and i’m looking for a gift for my girl. any suggestions?

w：well, you have to tell me something about your girlfriend first. also what's your budget?

q：what does the woman want the man to do?

在本例中，look for这个短语应该是大家熟悉的，听起来难度不大，但around the corner在听力一开始就出现，很同学可能就会“卡壳”了，原因就在于对这个短语非常不熟悉，一般同学能理解成“在街角附近”就不错了，更别谈这个词在这里真正的含义“…即将临近”了。有同学可能会问了，既然如此，课外是不是要把这些词汇全部统计一下呢？我个人认为，如果时间充裕，做这样的工作当然很好，也可以找个本子把这些习语记下来，平时熟读，如果能坚持长期做这样的工作，短对话足以应付。

本次考试其他的习语有：watch my weight, go ahead, make it, not really, no yet, get upset over…

二、生活中常用词汇的考察

四级考试短对话的场景也基本借鉴托福考试，不会考察与政治、校园暴力等相关的内容，一般为贴近学生学习生活和业余生活的内容，因此，生活中常见的词汇也将成为听力中常涉及到的内容，如本次考试第12题：

m：what would you like for dessert? i think i’ll have apple pie and ice cream.

w：the chocolate cake looks great, but i have to watch my weight. you go ahead and get yours.

q：what will the woman most probably do?

本对话主要在谈“吃”，与食物相关的词汇已加了粗体，第一个出现的食品叫“dessert”，这个词考生很生疏，课外用到的很少，或许从形状上又会和desert混淆，而本题的答案中就含有这个词。我的个人建议是：在听之前对选项要进行全面细致的浏览，用笔把四个选项的关键词勾画一下，在嘴边默读一遍，这将对听有较大的帮助。

本次考试其他的生活词汇有：bar, library, opera, tree, truck…

三、谈一个短对话的小技巧——“尾词”是陷阱

很多参考书都介绍过比较多的听力短对话技巧，笔者认为，听力考试很灵活，很多技巧也许只能针对个别几个题目，并非具有统一性，在这里，我谈一个小技巧——“尾词”的作用，希望对大家有所启迪。

先看一例，还是刚才说到的本次考试第11题：

m：christmas is around the corner and i’m looking for a gift for my girl. any suggestions?

w：well, you have to tell me something about your girlfriend first. also what's your budget?

q：what does the woman want the man to do?

第一人说话的“尾词”是suggestion，显然是向第二个人询问建议，第二个人说话的“尾词”budget是我要强调的重点内容，据我观察，往往这个词经常是命题者有意混淆考生所设，先请看本题a选项plan his budget carefully. 这个选项中很明显就含有budget一词，很多考生在听对话时前面听的很模糊，但最后这个词却印象很深，结果就选了含有该词的选项，结果就错了，其实，他们都掉进了命题人的陷阱了。

再看一例，本次考试第14题：

m：professor smith asked me to go to his office after class. so it is impossible for me to make it to the bar at ten.

w：then it seems that we’ll have to meet an hour later at the library.

q：what will the man do first after class?

同样，第二个人说话的“尾词”是library，考生听的特别清楚，大部分考生都以为跟图书馆有关，所以就选择了a项go to the library，其实错了。犯的错误依然是只抓了“尾词”而忽略了前面的重要内容，掉进了命题人的“陷阱”。

请再看本次考试最后一题18题：

m：the taxi driver must be speeding.

w：well, not really. he crashed into the tree because he was trying not to hit a box that had fallen from a truck ahead of him.

q：what do we learn about the taxi driver?

第二个人说话的“尾词”是一个短语a truck ahead of him，而本题d项he was trying to overtake the truck ahead of him.就有这个短语，但其实，我们可以从分析这段听力原文的角度来看，从that开始的句子是一个定语从句，是用来修饰先行词box的，这并不是重点，而每道听力题都是在考察对话的延伸意义或称为“言下之意”，这些做修饰成分的短语和句子是不会考察的。这同样是符合我刚才谈到的“尾词是陷阱”原则的。

在平时的复习中，大家可以抓住这些内容慢慢体会，听力是慢活，希望大家在循序渐进的听力训练中达到能力与技巧的同步提高！

篇2：12月英语四级短对话听力技巧

四级考试短对话听力共由8组短对话构成，每组对话为一个话轮(通常由一男一女各读一句)，对话后有一个针对对话内容提出的问题。考生需根据所听到的录音内容，从试卷上提供的四个选项中选出一个最佳答案。考试时，每组短对话和问题只朗读一遍，每个问题后留有15秒答题时间。短对话听力部分的取材一般为考生比较熟悉，与考生学习、生活或与工作、旅游等密切相关的常见话题。

技巧1 听到什么不选什么

严格来说，“听到什么不选什么”是一个颇有风险的“技巧”。可是，正如风险投资一样，风险越高，回报率也就越高。此外，由于短对话很“短”，来来回回就两三句话，考点挖掘的余地全在对话的几个词。因此，命题者必然要在选项上做文章，如通过将原文的词汇加以组合，拼凑成与原文“貌合神离”的干扰选项，让没有听懂全文、只听到个别词句的考生上当受骗。而正确答案往往是原文的同义替换(或解释说明)。“听到什么不选什么”这一技巧尤其适用于一些比较简单的短对话!

技巧2 答非所问，必有弦外之音

在段对话中，如果一个说话人使用了一般疑问句，第二个说话人该怎样回答呢?通常来说，第二个说话人应该用Yes 或No――刚开始学英语的时候，老师就教我们这一点了。然而，在短对话听力中，我们经常听到的却是Yes 或No的变体，即回答中不仅没有出现Yes 或No，而且有时候还会用问句来回答问句!这时，出题人往往会考查对第二个说话人回答的理解。一般来说，如果第二个说话人对第一个说话人的一般疑问句不作直接回答，则通常表示第二个说话人对第一个说话人所提及的内容持一种否定态度，或者是一种带条件的肯定态度。正确答案即可由此选定。

技巧3 简单回答不简单

短对话听力考试中，有时对于第一个说话人的提问或者声明，第二个说话人的回答会包含“简单回答+详细解说”两部分。其中，简短回答部分是日常口语，容易听懂;然而后面紧跟着的解说部分则往往较长，且充满了种种艰深的词汇，令人费解。

若详细解说前没有but，则解说部分是对前面简短问题的补充说明;若详细解说前有but，则属于“中but题”，解说部分含义与简短回答部分相反，由此可推出答案。通常来说，第二个说话人的简短回答是其完整回答的“先遣部队”，对理解对话、解答问题具有重要的价值，应留意。

技巧4 直接排除语义相近选项

当四个选项中有两个(以上)选项在意思上相同或相近时，可以初步排除这两个(以上)的(同)近义选项，再带着预先的期待听录音，往往事半功倍。本技巧特别适合逻辑分析能力比听力能力强的考生。

技巧5 形态相似的选项预示答案

四个现象中如果只存在一组形似，答案极可能是其中之一，可带着这个预选的答案去听录音，做到有的放矢。

技巧6 语义对立的选项预示答案

四个选项中如果存在两个意思相对的选项，答案可能居于其一，可带着这个期待去听录音，往往收效甚佳。

篇3：12月大学英语四级短对话听力技巧

短对话部分：

该部分一般是日常生活中的对话，即衣、食、住、行、工作、学习、生活等话题，场景可分为校园、公共场所、家庭、办公室等方面。每题1分。

问对话发生的地点和场所

提问人物关系或身份

计算类

人物的计划或打算

人物的感觉状态

交通或交通工具

请求或建议

释义、替换或上下文

人物的态度观点或考生从对话中获得的信息或结论

短对话题型：

1 . 弦外之音—“言外之意”题型

2 . 妙语连珠—观点态度题型

3 . 虚虚实实—虚拟语气题型

4 . 咬文嚼字—理解归纳题型

5 . 多姿多彩—生活场景题型

6 . 怪声怪气—语气态度题型

1.弦外之音—“言外之意”题型

这类题型难度较高，对话中的回答人并不从正面回答问题，似乎答非所问。这就需要我们运用解题的逻辑思维与推理过程，也就是通常所说的“顺藤摸瓜”方法来答题。此类题型中，一些句子的真实含义不是直截了当地摆在我们面前，而是我们根据对话中揭示的内容去寻找与其相关的其他事物以及它们之间的联系。可分为两类：陈述回答型和疑问回答型。

1)陈述回答型

例：M: I need to find a dentist; you said you know Dr. Smith well, do you recommend her?

W: Well, I had to see her a few times, but what impressed me most was the magazines in her waiting room.

Q: What does the woman imply?

A) Dr. Smith’s waiting room isn’t tidy.

B) Dr. Smith enjoys reading magazines.

C) Dr. Smith has left a good impression on her.

D) Dr. Smith may not be a good choice.

言外之意：女的丝毫不提史密斯的医术如何，只说了一些无关紧要的琐事，无非是暗示她的医术很烂，故不愿意向男的推荐。

2)疑问回答型

请掌握以下几种表达建议和表示反对的语句

表示建议：Why not...?

Why don’t you...?

Wouldn’t...?How about...?

表示反对：

Should...he/she/we/they...be doing...?

表示责怪的意思：Shouldn’t...?

例：W: I hear that the Edwards are thinking of buying another house.

M: Should they be doing that with all the other expenses they have to pay? Anyhow, they are over 70 now, their present house is not too bad.

Q: What does the man imply?

A) The Edwards are quite well-off.

B) The Edwards should cut down on their living expenses.

C) It’ll be unwise for the Edwards to buy another house.

D) It’s too expensive for the Edwards to live in their present house.

言外之意：用问句这个结构表示说话人的反对情绪。

2.妙语连珠—观点态度题型

A) He doesn’t want Jenny to get into trouble.

B) He doesn’t agree with the woman’s remark.

C) He thinks Jenny’s workload too heavy at college.

D) He believes most college students are running wild.

分析：从男性说话中的actually一词可以听出他并不同意女性刚刚说的内容，他有自己的想法，类似的词语还有in fact，这也提醒我们，抓住短对话中的小词去揣摩说话人的态度也是非常关键的。

3.虚虚实实—虚拟语气题型

这属于一种隐性考法，用虚拟语气表达一种抱怨、后悔等情绪，主要体现虚拟语气的关键词有：if, if only, I only wish..., couldn’t have done something...without...等。

例：M: I wonder if you find my experience relevant to the job.

W: Yes, certainly, but if only you had sent in your application letter a week earlier.

Q: What does the woman imply?

A) The man is not suitable for the position.

B) The job has been given to someone else.

C) She had received only one application letter.

D) The application arrived a week earlier than expected.

4.咬文嚼字—理解归纳题型

这类题型难度颇高，关键在于后者说话当中的生词及细节较多，考生很难在短时间内完全把握对话的实质内容，能否答对就要看自己平时的积累。

例：M: Excuse me, Madam? Is the air-conditioning on? This room is getting as hot as a furnace.

W: Sorry, sir, a new epidemic (流行病) called SARS is threatening us right now. As a preventative measure (预防措施), we are told to let in fresh air by opening the windows and not to use air-conditioners.

Q: What does the woman mean?

A) The temperature is not as high as the man claims.

B) The room will get cool if the man opens the windows.

C) She is following instructions not to use the air-conditioning.

D) She is afraid the new epidemic SARS will soon spread all over town.

5.多姿多彩—生活场景题型

总体而言,常见的短对话场景大致可分为如下三种：

1 . 学生学习生活场景

2 . 健康生活场景

3 . 交通活动场景

学生学习生活场景考查内容

1)选修课难，要少选，但却有意思;

2)学生功课很忙，经常遇到阻碍，男生一般很紧张，女生却比较从容;

3)学生很喜欢“临时抱佛脚”(尤其男生)，女生往往站在教育者的角度教育男生;

4)经常询问同学论文的进展速度，也很关心别人对自己的论文怎么评价;

M: I'm going to drop my information science class. It needs too early in the morning.

W: Is that really the good reason to drop the class, tiny?

Q: What does the woman mean? (CET4/05.1/No.2)

A) Tony should continue taking the course.

女士保留原则

对话中出现女士的建议和要求时，我们一定要注意，这时女士说出来的话很可能就是正确选项的意义;

“女士是神”

男人做一些事情遇到了困难，这时一位女人出来安慰男人，根据女神原则可知女人一定会让男人坚持把这件事情做下去，而不要放弃，这样的题型太多了，所以可呈现出一定的规律性

M: I think I'm going to give up playing tennis. I lost again today.

W: Just because you lost? Is that the reason to quit?

Q: What does the woman imply?

5)当谈到教授演讲或报告时，主要特点是内容难，跟不上，而且内容枯燥，速度快;

6)同学互助一般为：帮助照看东西、帮忙通知信息、帮忙补课等

7)学生兼职一般做：助教、服务生、社会调查等;

8)宿舍里，同学听音乐、玩游戏，影响了自己正常学习，然后提出自己看法。

健康生活场景考查内容

1)医生忙，要耐心

2)有病要尽早去治疗，否则要产生很多麻烦

3)吸烟对身体不好，要戒烟

4)看完病后要及时调养，不能马上做劳累的事情

交通活动场景考查内容

1)搭乘飞机旅行，首先要预定机票，经常会遇到预定完毕 (be booked up), 因此只能推迟时间，有时因为无法到达机场，必须改机票(get ticket changed)。

2)经常因为天气原因(because of/due to the bad weather)或机械故障(mechanical problem)而导致航班延误，需要等待进一步消息或通知(further notice)。

3)步行是一种锻炼方式;骑自行车可以回避高峰，但车胎容易没气(flat tire);乘巴士方便，但中途容易出故障(break down);开车上班容易塞车 (much traffic jam);坐火车可以看风景(sightsee),但火车上食物不好，因此经常选择自己带食物或提前吃。

4)出现交通意外的原因一般是超速或者是躲避不及。

篇4：关于英语四级听力短对话部分的技巧

一、原则：

1.推理原则：一般需对对话进行推理，故直接在对话中听到的一般不是正确答案。

2.挫折原则：通常要办的事情都是不顺利的(如买东西买不到，订房间客满等)

3.男女原则：一般男生比较衰，女生比较牛。男生提出的观点女生都是不同意或有不同看法的，反之女生提出的观点男生都是同意和赞赏的。男生的特征：脏、乱、差、浪费、穷、小气、不良习惯、迟钝、不顾家女生的特征：爱干净、节约、富有、好学、能干、聪明、大度、耐心、恋家、除数理化外成绩都很好

4.父母一般只有一个作用教育子女好好学习

5.除了父母教育子女外，家里(包括朋友家，阿姨家等等)发生的事情一般是不考的，故遇到地点推测题类似 at home / at Mary’s home 之类的选项一般都是不对的。

6.四级听力短对话只考日常生活学习中遇得到事情，问题，故如果选项中出现一些日常生活中不太可能发生或很少发生的事情一般不会是正确选项

二、短对话十大场景及一般思路：

1. 借车：车一般是借不到的 (男向女的借车，借得到;但是女向男的借车，男的肯定有原因不借的。如：车坏了，车借给别人了。)

2. 吃：匹萨，海鲜吃了一般会有不适反应， “派”一般比较好吃

3. 考试：作业、论文一般比较难，或须要熬夜教授一般比较严厉选修课较难较多

4. 坐车(飞机、轮船) ：一般都需要等考意外原因或者时间

5. 事故(灾难) ：光明原则，一般不会死人

6. 听讲座：题目一般是比较有趣丰富的，内容一般是比较复杂难懂的

7. 论文：一般需要修改(polish)或重写(rewrite)

8. 休闲：男生一般喜欢待在家里watch TV 或者watch movie，

女生一般喜欢高雅艺术theater、exhibition、film(文艺片)、concert、art gallery

9. 医院：需要预约 make an appointment

10. 买票：基本上是买不到的考意外原因

篇5：12月英语四级考试听力原文

Part 1 短对话

Question 1

- M： Do you remember the wonderful film on space exploration we watched together last month?

- W： Sure。 It’s actually the most impressive one I’ve seen on that topic。

Q：What do we learn about the speakers?

A) They admire the courage of space explorers.

B) They enjoyed the movie on space exploration.

C) They were going to watch a wonderful movie.

D) They like doing scientific exploration very much.

Question 2

- W： Are you looking for anything in particular?

- M： Yes. My son is graduating from high school， and I want to get him something special.

Q：Where does the conversation most probably take place?

A) At a gift shop.

B) At a graduation ceremony.

C) In the office of a travel agency.

D) In a school library.

Question 3

- M： Mike told me yesterday that he had been looking in vain for a job in the art gallery.

- W： Really? If I remember right， he had a chance to work there， but he turned it down。

Q：What does the woman say about Mike?

A)He used to work in the art gallery.

B)He does not have a good memory.

C)He declined a job offer from the art gallery.

D)He is not interested in any part-time jobs.

Question 4

- W： Would you like to come to Susan’s birthday party tomorrow evening?

- M： I’m going to give a lecture tomorrow. I wish I could be in two places at the same time。

Q：What does the man mean?

A) Susan has been invited to give a lecture tomorrow.

B) He will go to the birthday party after the lecture.

C) The woman should have informed him earlier.

D) He will be unable to attend the birthday party.

Question 5

- W： Aren’t you discouraged by the slow progress your staff is making?

- M： Yes. I think I will give them a deadline and hold them to it.

Q：What is the man probably going to do?

A) Reward those having made good progress.

B) Set a deadline for the staff to meet.

C) Assign more workers to the project.

D) Encourage the staff to work in small groups.

Question 6

- W： Excuse me。 Could you tell me where the visitors’ parking is? I left my car there.

- M： Sure。 It’s in Lot C。 Over that way.

Q：What does the woman want to know?

A) The way to the visitor’s parking.

B) The rate for parking in Lot C.

C) How far away the parking lot is.

D) Where she can leave her car.

Question 7

- W： You look great! Now that you’ve taken those fitness classes.

- M： Thanks. I’ve never felt better in my life.

Q：What does the man mean?

A) He regrets missing the classes.

B) He plans to take the fitness classes.

C) He is looking forward to a better life.

D) He has benefited from exercise.

Question 8

- W： I really admire the efficiency of your secretaries.

- M： Our company selects only the best. They have a heave workload and we give them a lot of responsibilities.

Q：What are the speakers talking about?

A) How to ? work efficiency.

B) How to select secretaries.

C) The responsibilities of secretaries.

D) The secretaries in the man’s company.

篇6：12月英语四级考试听力练习题

Much of the western United States is suffering from extreme drought conditions. U.S. officials are blaming the lack of rainfall and snow for wildfires and water shortages.

The long drought has influenced changes around an increasing number of homes in southern California. More and more people there are removing traditional garden plants and replacing them with plants that need less water.

Jan Muntz is one of those homeowners. She says it has not been easy to replace the plants in her yard.

“It's very painful, and some of these plants have been there probably 80 and 90 years.”

Many plants in the Los Angeles area do not grow there naturally. In other words, they are non-native plants. Some require lots of water.

The Theodore Payne Foundation has been working for years to educate Californians about plants that are native to the state. Kitty Connolly works for the group. She says there has been a sharp increase in the number of people who want to learn about indigenous plants.

“You use less water, so in a California native garden, depending on how you plant, you'll save 50 to 80 percent of water over a conventional garden.”

The foundation operates a nursery where people learn how to grow and care for native plants.

Scientists are now predicting some weather changes in the American West. Bill Patzert is a climatologist, a scientist who studies the climate. He predicts rain will fall in Southern California this winter.

“This looks very, very promising for a down payment on drought relief in the American West. We're very hopeful for this El Nino.”

The El Nino weather event produces warmer-than-average waters in the Pacific Ocean, near Earth's Equator. Scientists expect this weather pattern will be very strong, beginning at the end of this year and continuing into next year. Mr. Patzert notes that El Nino also has an effect on other areas.

“Some areas that are normally dry like the American West, Peru and Ecuador, get torrential rains. Southeast Asia, Indonesia and the Philippines and northern Australia -- they get punishing droughts. Even in South Africa, they get droughts and so there isn't one continent that doesn't feel the footprint of a big El Nino.”

El Nino lasts for about a year. But another weather pattern is forming, and could last much longer. It is called the Pacific Decadal Oscillation, or PDO. Nate Mantua is a research scientist. He told VOA on Skype that the PDO could produce warming and cooling patterns for many years.

“The warm pattern of the PDO favors above-normal rainfall in southern California and throughout the southwest part of the U.S. and northern Mexico, so it would favor a break in these dry conditions for the Southwest.”

Mr. Mantua notes, weather is unpredictable. He says the southwestern United States may have only one year of rain.

I'm Marsha James.

Is your country being affected by El Nino? We want to hear from you. Write your thoughts in the comments section.

Elizabeth Lee reported on this story from Los Angeles. Christopher Jones-Cruise adapted it into Learning English. George Grow was the editor.

篇7：英语四级听力技巧短对话考试原则

1. 推理原则：一般需对对话进行推理，故直接在对话中听到的一般不是正确答案。

2. 挫折原则：通常要办的事情都是不顺利的(如买东西买不到，订房间客满等)

3. 男女原则：一般男生比较衰，女生比较牛。男生提出的观点女生都是不同意或有不同看法的，反之女生提出的观点男生都是同意和赞赏的。

男生的特征：脏、乱、差、浪费、穷、小气、不良习惯、迟钝、不顾家

女生的特征：爱干净、节约、富有、好学、能干、聪明、大度、耐心、恋家、除数理化外成绩都很好

4. 父母一般只有一个作用教育子女好好学习

5. 除了父母教育子女外，家里(包括朋友家，阿姨家等等)发生的事情一般是不考的，故遇到地点推测题类似 at home / at Mary’s home之类的选项一般都是不对的。

6. 四级听力短对话只考日常生活学习中遇得到事情，问题，故如果选项中出现一些日常生活中不太可能发生或很少发生的事情一般不会是正确选项。

1.12月英语四级短对话听力技巧

2.英语四级短对话听力技巧

3.英语四级听力短文听力技巧

4.月英语四级长对话听力技巧

5.英语四级短文听力冲刺技巧

6.英语四级短文听力技巧

7.英语四级听力短对话模拟训练题及答案解析

8.英语四级听力考试技巧汇总

9.英语四级考试听力复习九技巧

10.英语四级考试听力技巧

篇8：12月大学英语四级听力试题练习

【听力练习】

The U.S. Supreme Court says the University of Texas can consider race when deciding which students to admit. The case was one of the most closely watched because it deals with the issue of affirmative action.

Affirmative action is a policy designed to help those who suffer from discrimination, especially regarding employment or education.

The decision has nationwide implications because other American universities use similar affirmative action policies. However, eight U.S. states do not allow race to be used when considering public college admissions. The states are Arizona, California, Florida, Michigan, Nebraska, New Hampshire, Oklahoma and Washington.

By law, the University of Texas guarantees admission to students who graduate in the top 10 percent of their high school class. But when considering applications from about 25 percent of students, the University of Texas also considers the student’s race, along with other factors.

The 4-3 Supreme Court decision means the university’s admissions policy can remain.

Abigail Fisher, a white woman, filed the case against the University of Texas. She said the school denied her admission based on her race.

Fisher’s grades were not good enough to get her automatic admission under the top 10 percent rule. She was denied admission to the University of Texas in 2008.

When she found out that minority students with lower grades than hers were accepted, she sued the school for discrimination. The University of Texas said Fisher would not have been admitted with or without race as a factor.

The university says its race-based selection policies are necessary to maintain adiverse campus community. Fisher’s attorneys argued that the top 10 percent program is enough to make sure that adequate minority students are included in the admissions process.

Justice Anthony Kennedy gave the majority opinion for the court. “The university has thus met its burden of showing that the admissions policy it used... was narrowlytailored,” he wrote.

Kennedy also said that “it remains an enduring challenge to our nation's education system to reconcile the pursuit of diversity with the constitutional promise of equal treatment and dignity.”

Three other judges - Chief Justice John Roberts, Justice Samuel Alito and Justice Clarence Thomas C disagreed.

Alito said he thought the decision was an example of “affirmative action goneberserk.” He said he felt the university had relied “on a series of unsupported andnoxious racial assumptions.”

In a separate dissent, Thomas expressed his view that the U.S. Constitution makes it illegal to use race as part of the admissions process in higher education.

U.S. President Barack Obama praised the Supreme Court’s decision for upholding “the basic notion that diversity is an important value in our society, and that this country should provide a high quality education to all our young people, regardless of their background.”

I’m Bryan Lynn.

________________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

factor C n. something that produces or influences a certain result

automatic C adj. happening by itself with little human involvement

diverse C adj. showing a lot of differences and variety

adequate C adj. acceptable in quality or quantity

tailor C v. adapt for a particular purpose or person

reconcile C v. restore friendly relations

dissent C n. the expression of opinions different from others

berserk C adj. out of control with anger or excitement

noxious C adj. harmful or unpleasant