3.加强辨音能力
近音、同音异义给听力测试增加了难度，往往使考生误选答案。要解决这一问题，就要加强辨音及提高从上下文正确辨义的能力。另外，还要注意速读、弱读、停顿、英音与美音之间的区别以及口语中的发音特点。所以我们平时应该多跟录音听读，纠正自己的不正确发音。
考生常常这样抱怨：听的过程中问题很多，跟不上、听不明白、走神、听懂了做不出来。不仅仅是因为听不懂单词导致听不懂句子，也因为耳朵磨得不多、练习得不够导致反应不出来，所以有充足备考时间的同学要花时间做精听练习，坚持三个星期，对解决以上问题有非常大的帮助。听写便是一个很好的练习精听的方式。
什么样的材料是好的听写素材呢？对考博学生来说，听写材料其实可以根据个人的喜好选择，但是需要注意的是：1．听写的材料不宜过长。如果材料过长，听写的过程就会花费比较长的时间，容易疲倦，难以坚持下去。2．听写的材料尽量挑选贴近考试水平的文章。
下面简单说一下听写流程。
第一步，先听一遍材料，了解大致内容；
第二步，分节点听写，所谓的节点就是短暂记忆能撑到的最长的意群，通常是一个短句子或者一个句子的从句、主句，学会记笔记；
第三步，再听一遍，适时停顿，把刚才听写漏掉的东西补上去（用不同颜色的笔标记出来）；
第四步，对照文本，进行最终的纠正（继续用不同颜色的笔标记）；
第五步，总结听写中听不明白的单词、词组；
第六步，跟读，不看文本，录音说一句你说一句，或者根据节点停顿跟读。在备考过程中，这个环节非常重要。
注意：听写不一定要锱铢必较，特别是听力中的语气词、名字、特殊名词之类的可以直接用首字母代替或者忽略，相信大家也知道这些东西不是很重要。同时，听了3遍实在听不出来的就投降吧，等对照文本的时候再仔细研究总结。
听写练习一（A New Blood Test for Cancer）
非考点难点词汇：
University of Swansea in Wales
Gareth Jenkins
esophagus
esophageal cancer
录音原文
Cancer is a leading cause of death around the world.
When it comes to cancer,the sooner you know you have it,the better your chances of surviving.
A new blood test could change the way doctors and researchers find cancer in patients. Researchers say the test could provide clues to the early forms of the disease.
Scientists at the University of Swansea in Wales came up with the idea.
Gareth Jenkins is a professor at the university.He says he and his team did not look for cancer.They instead looked for a by-product of cancer.They looked for,what Jenkins calls, the collateral damage of cancer—the damage left by the disease.
In this case,the by-product was mutated red blood cells.
The researchers tested blood from about 300 people,all of whom have cancer of the esophagus.Patients with esophageal cancer have high levels of mutated red blood cells. Jenkins says that at this point he is not sure if other cancers would produce similar results.
The hope is that the new test and other non-invasive methods could one day become part of commonly used medical methods.He says that using a battery,or series,of tests will be the best way to find out if a person has cancer.
These new technologies could save millions of lives.
听写练习二（Electromagnetic Waves to Treat Depression）
录音原文
People suffering from depression are finding help when electromagnetic waves enter their brains.
Mental health experts estimate that depression affects more than 120 million people worldwide.It severely affects the person’s quality of life and,in extreme cases,can lead to suicide.
Anti-depressant medicines have been shown as an effective treatment for many patients.But the drugs are unable to help some people with the disorder.
For such persons,doctors may suggest deep transcranial magnetic stimulation or DTMS for short.
In this treatment,patients wear a helmet—a large hard hat on their head.The helmet is connected to a machine.
An electric coil in the helmet sends out regular pulses of electromagnetic energy.These beating sounds produce changes in the brain area responsible for the disorder.
Electromagnetic brain stimulation is not new.It was first used to treat depression over 30 years ago.Now,a new generation of wiring can direct the energy to one part of the brain. DTMS starts with daily 20-minute-long treatments for 20 to 30 days.The patient then returns for treatment two to three times a week for several weeks.
The only side effect is sometimes minor head pain.
听写练习三（The Treatment of Alzheimer’s）
非考点难点词汇：
Alzheimer’s
menstrual pain
mefenamic acid
录音原文
A surprising discovery has been made in the treatment of Alzheimer’s,the brain disease that causes memory loss and other problems.
A drug used to treat women’s menstrual pain made memory problems disappear in laboratory animals with Alzheimer’s disease.
The researchers gave the medicine—mefenamic acid—to mice with Alzheimer’s disease.The scientists say treatment reversed the animals’memory-loss problems.
Alzheimer’s is a progressive disease.It worsens over time.It affects many parts of people’s lives,including the ability to remember,think and make decisions.
The findings were published in the journal Nature Communications.David Brough of Britain’s University of Manchester led the research.
听写练习四（The Treatment of Alzheimer’s）
录音原文
The scientists did experiments with mice that were engineered to develop Alzheimer’s symptoms.Like humans who get the disease,the laboratory mice developed memory problems over time.(https://www.daowen.com)
Ten of the Alzheimer’s mice were treated with mefenamic acid for one month.The drug was contained in very small pump devices placed under their skin.Ten other mice,also with memory problems,had devices placed under their skin too,but theirs did not contain medicine.Then the animals were placed in a maze—a complex group of connected paths. They had to learn how to move around the maze without problems.
Mike Daniels was a researcher on the study.In a Skype interview he said the mice who received the drug learned the maze easily.That was not true for the mice who did not get the medicine.
The researchers were excited by the results with the drug-treated mice.
The researchers say the drug is already approved by the U.S.government and is known to be safe.So,after more testing,mefenamic acid may be available quickly to treat Alzheimer’s patients.
听写练习五（The Treatment of Alzheimer’s）
非考点难点词汇：
amyloid
amyloid plaques
录音原文
In another recent study,researchers testing a drug on humans found it slowed the progress of Alzheimer’s disease.People were given a drug that fights substances that build up in the brain of Alzheimer’s patients.
The substances are called amyloid.They are sticky proteins that group together in the brain.Together,they form what are called amyloid plaques,and are thought to be a cause of Alzheimer’s.
The researchers reported that in the brains of those given the treatment,there was an “almost complete clearance”of the amyloid plaques,according to the AFP news agency.
But researchers said that while the results are exciting,it is too early to know if this is an effective treatment for the disease.More tests are planned.
The study results were published in the journal Nature.
The World Health Organization says more than 47 million people worldwide are affected by dementia.Nearly eight million new cases are diagnosed each year.
听写练习六（Possible Genetic Causes of Autism）
非考点难点词汇：
autism
Princeton University in New Jersey
Princeton’s Lewis-Sigler Institute for Integrative Genomics
录音原文
The human body has about 25,000 genes.Researchers already know of 65 genes they believe carry a risk for autism.Now,researchers at Princeton University in New Jersey have identified 2,500 more that could help create the conditions for autism.
The discovery is important because the genes could lead scientists toward finding a cause and,possibly,a treatment.
Autism is a condition that makes it difficult for some people to communicate,learn and socialize.
Arjun Krishnan is a researcher at Princeton’s Lewis-Sigler Institute for Integrative Genomics.He says researchers used what they called a machine-learning computer program to identify autism-related genes.
Krishnan explains that the program identified similarities between brain-related genes and the 65 autism-risk genes.
Then,the program looked for other genes that are“friends”of both sets.
The findings can also help researchers understand why one person may be only mildly affected with autism,while another is severely affected.
Researchers still have not found a way to diagnose autism,beyond just observing the child.But they hope this new research into gene patterns will lead to a way to diagnose very young children.Then they can be helped as soon as possible.
听写练习七（Sleep Well in Childhood to Prevent Obesity）
录音原文
Getting a good night’s sleep tonight could guard children against weight gain in the future.According to a new study,putting preschoolers in bed by 8 pm could reduce their chances of becoming overweight or obese later in life by half.Preschoolers are children around the age of 4 or 5.
The term“obese”refers to calculations of your Body Mass Index,what doctors call BMI. They use a person’s height,weight and age to assess their amount of body fat.BMI help tell whether a person is underweight,normal,overweight or obese.
The World Health Organization says obesity can lead to serious long-term health problems like diabetes,heart disease and stroke.
听写练习八（Sleep Well in Childhood to Prevent Obesity）
非考点难点词汇：
Ohio State University’s College of Public Health
The Journal of Pediatrics
Sarah Anderson
录音原文
Researchers from the Ohio State University’s College of Public Health have found that young children who go to bed after 9 pm are twice as likely to be obese later in life.The researchers wrote their findings in The Journal of Pediatrics.
The lead author of the study is Sarah Anderson.She is an associate professor of epidemiology.She studies how diseases spread and how they can be controlled.Anderson says that,for parents,the results of the study support the importance of creating a bedtime routine.She says that having a usual bedtime routine is something“families can do to lower their child’s risk”of becoming overweight.
“A usual,early bedtime,”Anderson adds,“is also likely to have positive benefits on behavior and on social,emotional and cognitive development”.
听写练习九（Sleep Well in Childhood to Prevent Obesity）
非考点难点词汇：
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
录音原文
Anderson said putting children in bed early does not mean they will immediately fall asleep.But,she adds,it makes it“more likely that children will get the amount of sleep they need to be at their best”.
But Anderson says it is important to understand that having early bedtime may be harder for some families than others.She says that“families have many competing demands and there are trade-offs that get made”.For example,she says,if some parents work late, that can push the children’s bedtime to later in the evening.
Obesity among children in the United States is a major health concern.About 17 percent of children and teenager in the U.S.are considered obese.That is according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The World Health Organization reported in 2014 that the number of overweight babies and young children worldwide had increased from 31 million in 1990 to 44 million in 2012.If that trend continues,the WHO warns,there will be 70 million obese children in the world by 2025.