College English Test Band Six Part Three: Listening Comprehension
& P' L# [4 x3 x Z3 {4 `Section A:
- a) Q3 q+ T4 y4 u/ O! ~* UDirections: In this section you will hear eight short conversations and two long conversations. At the end of each conversation, one or more questions will be asked about what was said. Both the conversations and the questions will be spoken only once. After each question, there will be a pause. During the pause, you must read the four choices marked a), b), c), and d), and decide which is the best answer. Then mark the corresponding letter on answer sheet two with a single line through the center. Now, let’s begin with eight short conversations. ' J: ]2 o" F8 M
/ X% e' \/ _4 h0 V, pQuestions 11: ! | i% A8 j+ g" {5 G a
W:I need to find a dentist; you said you know Dr. Smith well, do you recommend her?
* v/ A. Z9 R8 S) l8 }7 l# _M: Well, I had to see her a few times, but what impressed me most were the magazines in her waiting room.
* @) L2 b8 N0 f9 l) _" o& k% UQ: What does the woman imply?
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) \' A P# ]) d9 J: XQuestion 12:( X# X( L( ?' R& S4 F
W: I’m afraid I can’t show you the apartment at the moment, because the tenant is still living in it. It’s really a lovely place, with a big kitchen and a sunny window, for only two hundred dollars a month.* _- E% G# m( E# |& ^+ N+ M, M7 d
M: Sounds good, but we really can’t rent an apartment without seeing it first. . E4 ~7 d: b- N0 m8 Z# {
Q: What do we learn from the conversation?
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Question 13:
# j+ D M% C4 W! F" N# [3 \M: So, that’s what’s been keeping you so busy recently!
N1 r; z* Y D) ?6 Z2 o2 b6 fW: Yes, I’ve been tied up with my studies. You know I’m planning to go to the United States this coming summer, but I’m a bit nervous about my English.# u$ a, |+ \2 n: N! ~+ p3 l
Q: What is the woman busy doing?
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9 i; b0 V+ x5 ~/ L3 ~Question 14:
$ q" c# T. M* cW: How did you feel when you found out you had high blood pressure? + G4 D( X( J* _( u
M: Shocked! The problem for me was that there were no symptoms; it seemed to have sneaked up on me.
* I5 T( Y% G4 a3 W% KQ: What does the man mean?" b! H' g% g0 b6 ^ g' m, X
6 ~% e u/ r `) M, ]- xQuestion 15:
A y8 K# {$ N! D& A' N* L! yW: So, you’re just back from a trip to India. What were you doing there?
1 n% }5 q% E- ?) n A# n8 eM: The trip was intended to bring to the world’s attention the fact that AIDS is not just an African disease; it’s also endangering other countries, notably, India and Thailand.
3 f. X6 J4 u. i- KQ: What was the purpose of the man’s trip to India? # V6 ]/ Q) h ]
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Question 16
4 Z' s4 K- O& |5 l) IM: It’s quite clear form my visit, this is a full size, comprehensive university. So why is it still called a college? : y+ C$ j& g: K5 x5 R- `1 f
W: The College of William and Mary is the second oldest institution of higher learning in this country. We have nurtured great minds like Thomas Jefferson and we are proud of our name.
5 ?1 X/ W% }- Z# R! IQ: What do we learn from this conversation about the College of William and Mary? $ |- m1 p3 }" j$ B. g( l
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Question 17:
5 \" ~3 z6 @& j3 V/ \0 E3 uM: Have the parts we need for the photo copying machine arrived yet?
5 e9 g# y9 ] L- j! ?% w* BW: I ordered them last week, but something is holding them up. 7 B! c0 |: g5 [" k; u
Q: What does the woman say about the parts needed for the photo copying machine?
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5 w3 G7 [$ q6 |- n! oQuestion 18: 4 d. `* V! J+ U; A7 E, ]' s
W: The cafeteria provided many kinds of dished for us today. Did you notice that?
( A$ N [9 c( S2 M# u: ]. jM: Yes, kind of rare, isn’t it? 2 o/ O' W: E8 e( h5 @
Q: What does the man imply?
# `# |8 |& A7 |4 n1 N. vNow you’ll hear the two long conversations. + h+ G0 R& S2 h( i! |7 u; k7 a
) f$ ?: U9 ^, T0 I P- u% M6 U( sConversation One:
0 b* e. R. H5 e: kW: :Hello, Patrick, is that you? & x( t( ^9 B( @9 b
M: Yeah Jane, what can I do for you?
/ N/ {+ }! `5 F% ?9 w/ M1 OW: I was calling about the apple tree that you were trimming yesterday.2 t/ A8 t$ E( h9 ], z7 {# A2 R
M: That was hard work!
! t+ p2 L1 }4 OW: I’m sure it was. It sure looked difficult.
, l5 N f$ F: F2 ^M: Yeah, I’m glad it’s finished. Hauling the branches to the front for garbage pick up was no fun either. 9 V# w! Y6 `6 } B) R) g' X W3 z6 ?
W: Well, I don’t think you’re quite finished yet, some of the larger branches fell over into my yard, and I think you should come and get them.
# K5 w1 D" N( [# p9 x( j, v# VM: Listen Jane, I don’t see why I should do that. You eat all the apples that fall in your yard and you’ve never complained about that before. % X( a! K! F% {9 X- x
W: Well, it’s easier to pick up apples then to drag tree branches all the way to the curb. My kids pick up the apples, and the branches are just too big for them to drag.
% A5 w3 U0 P7 t5 G7 e( \3 lM: Well, I guess you’ll just have to do it yourself Jane.4 \2 ^9 \& X" b. V& X$ `
W: Patrick, I wish you would reconsider. We’ve always gotten along fairly well, but I think you’re out of line here. The branches are your responsibility.
: e- @' j( r% `- i! kM: Sorry Jane, I disagree! You take the benefits of the apple tree, but refuse to deal with the bad side of it! Besides, it won’t take you any time to get the branches out front!
! x4 I8 `; M4 V7 F( T$ \* OW: Get the branches off my property or I’ll have to sue you.
* i) J* A Q% J4 d0 hM: Yeah? For what?! You’re taking those law classes too seriously! I’ve gotta go, I have to pick up my son.6 @: s0 q2 P- j; E
W: You’ll be hearing from me.
' `, L- y4 D3 A* o/ @# PM: Yeah, yeah. See you in court Jane.
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Questions 19-22 are based on the questions you have just heard.
) n/ u; ^1 T; f( BQuestion 19:
8 E x% g+ R! q. H- b+ b. n+ NWhat did the man do yesterday?
- \7 C+ K8 s* V7 g) n/ u2 q/ N; CQuestion 20:' |( z0 z6 k0 j5 y% n8 e
What did the woman ask the man to do?
$ x- b3 S2 Q/ X( jQuestion 21:
! t5 h' @/ {1 C+ ZWhat did the woman threaten to do?
1 {8 Q2 R2 S1 f4 x" L0 M( W# oQuestion 22:8 b+ V; o/ L; o8 v' ?
What was the man’s reaction to the woman’s threat?
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1 w8 T2 M0 l) n5 YConversation Two: * e+ K p: q0 f& ~- q! k' }% }
M: Did you hear about the air crash that occurred in South America recently? It was quite a tragic accident! ) q2 d8 p. h+ t8 l& E$ g7 O5 S: [! X
W: No, I didn’t see anything in the news about it. What happened?
; x' ~( P5 m+ N0 DM: A foreign airliner was attempting to land at night in a mountainous area in Argentina and flew into a hill!
2 ?" K' ^6 X, B! G! @& T: n# A! yW: That sounds really terrible! Did anyone survive? % l( X' i1 U* ] w) S4 `
M: No, everyone aboard, including the crew, was killed instantly.& [5 w3 Q/ U. ], g
W: What were the circumstances? Were they bad weather, a fire, or engine failure? 3 {# ?+ I2 @9 O5 O8 {7 ?) \
M: Apparently, there was some low clouds in the area, but mostly it was just miscommunication between the pilots and the are traffic controllers.
3 S& g) I) l' \* VW: Weren’t they both speaking in English, the official international aviation language?
8 d* r6 w3 O" p T0 |' f7 a4 K2 p+ uM: Yes they were, but the transmit ion from poor quality radios was slightly distorted and the accents of the Spanish speaking controllers was so strong that the pilots that the pilots misunderstood a vital instruction.
! S0 B( c0 K: m. zW: How could a misunderstanding like that cause such a serious accident? 9 c; \' W H* ^6 Z: b. {% i7 P
M: The pilots were told to descend to 2-2,000 feet. The instruction actually meant 22,000 feet, but they thought they heard descend 2,000 feet. That’s a huge difference, and it should have been confirmed, but it was not. Unfortunately, the terrain of the mountains in Norweija ascend to 2,000 feet.
. t1 v6 O! f4 X; KW: So the pilots did descend to the wrong altitude then, because they were following the air controllers instructions. + I6 h: b$ X9 v3 p D
M: Sadly enough, yes they did. It was a really bad mistake. Many people died as a result of the simply understanding.4 j0 t; [2 k5 B- Y. ~! u
W: Wow, that’s a powerful lesson on how important it can be to accurately communicate to each other. ! i2 }* x" ~6 C; J% Q
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Questions: 23-25 are based on the conversation you have just heard.
! x3 u8 k: L: O9 c2 [6 aQuestion 23: & m. Q3 u) g& W& K& A9 V: z
What was the cause of the tragedy?
& H" h3 T) t/ U6 U7 y9 `: b3 DQuestion 24:: ?1 h# T" e6 Q
How high are the mountains in Norweija? ) c9 R4 I% `% U) l/ {. ]0 U
Question 25: ! p3 U4 G6 b4 d" r" i0 F0 q$ T
What lesson could be drawn from the accident?7 b G& s# R; Q1 R9 T" |
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Section B:
: n( \8 D- g" K n1 S$ J8 [Directions: In this section, you will hear three short passages. At the end of each passage, you will hear some questions. Both the passage and the questions will be spoken only once. After you hear the question, you must choose the best answer from the choices marked a), b), c), and d). Then mark the corresponding letter on answer sheet two with a single line through the center. " q1 t& P- G" ~. g8 u
; h% F* v1 G2 T4 l9 QPassage one:
9 \) x; z9 }0 ?1 }3 _Edgar Poe, an American writer, was born in 1809. His parents were actors. Edgar was a baby when his father left the family. He was two years old when his mother died. He was taken into the home of a wealthy business man named John Allen. He then received his real name, Edgar Allen Poe. As a young man, Poe attended the University of Virginia. He was a good student, but he liked to drink alcohol and play card games for money. As an unskilled game player, he often lost money. Since he couldn’t pay off his gambling money, he left university and began working for magazines. He worked hard, yet he was not well paid, or well known. At the age of 27, he got married. For a time it seemed that Poe would find happiness, but his wife was sick for most of their marriage, and died in 1847. Through all his crises, Poe produced many stories and poems which appeared in different publications, yet he didn’t become famous until 1845, when his poem, The Raven, was published. There is a question, however, about Poe’s importance in American Literature. Some critics say that Poe was one of America’s best writers, and even influenced many French writers, but others disagree. They say that Poe’s work is difficult to understand and most of his writing describes many unpleasant situations and events. Edgar Allen Poe died in 1849 when he was 40 years old. It is said that he was found dead after days of heavy drinking.
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. A( V7 g! a) G6 C6 {3 c j( b% BQuestions 26-29 are based on the passage you have just heard: : v/ D5 h5 p. R3 Z `, n( g
Question 26: . Z" W7 G/ S! b
What happened to Edgar Allen Poe’s family, when he was only two years old?
1 g) ~" s5 f' _9 ~2 v* CQuestion 27: 9 L, X, |2 q. \$ k
Why did Edgar Allen Poe leave the University of Virginia?3 ]: I1 a5 K; B! M! N
Question 28:8 e; ?; |. b' ~+ E# Q
What do some critics say about Edgar Allen Poe?
3 f% C8 {/ m& [Question 29:
5 B0 n3 s. `$ ^* bHow did Edgar Allen Poe’s life come to an end?5 e: B1 J- E( N
# M, `5 A3 \. ?* k) K7 [Passage Two:
- H& U8 H |' m2 d% o* c. pMore than fifty years ago, the United Nations declared that literacy is a basic human right. It’s very important for improving the lives of individuals, however, it is estimated that 880 million adults around the world are illiterate, that is, they are unable to read or write. A majority of them are women. Over 100 million school age children around the world do not attend school. Many others complete school of fail to finish their studies without learning to read or write. Many countries depend on the efforts of people who offer their time to help illiterate individuals. For example, John Mogger became concerned about the problem of illiteracy three years ago, so he started teaching five prisoners in Brazil. In his teaching, he developed a system with these prisoners. He says his way of teaching can help anyone learn how to read and write with about thirty hours of study. To learn his system, people must first know how to write letters of the alphabet and learn which sounds they represent. The system divides letters into three groups. The first group of letter can be written between two lines. The second can be written between two lines but part of the letter is above the top line. The third group has letters that are partly written below the lower line. John Mogger taught his students to write simply words from the letters, in this way, his students learned more than seven hundred words. Many of them can now write to family members. They also can read newspapers and magazines.
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Questions 30-32 are based on the Passage you have just heard: - M! u# o' y2 R4 U- }7 C
Questions 30:
% x1 Y2 C/ h- d4 K! X; H( ~* a% [According to the speaker, which group of people make up the majority of the illiterate population?
' {/ T1 R( S' Q7 n# J- }+ c Question 31:
9 X j/ i& b( M, zWhat is the most important feature of John Moggers method of teaching the alphabet?
" v$ ^6 s5 G# u# w& UQuestion 32:4 @* k- I8 n- V1 ~- i( P8 \
What does John Mogger say about his teaching method? 7 I- m- ^# }9 l0 t7 ]' Y% n! r
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Passage Three:
, A' X; L6 N: O( e( tFarmers usually use plows to prepare their fields for planting crops. Plows cut into the ground, and lift up weeds, and other unwanted plants. However, plowing is blamed for causing severe damage to top soil by removing the plants that protect soil from being blown or washed away. Many farmers in South Asia are now trying a process called Low Till Farming. Low Till Farming limits the use of plows. In this method of farming seeds and fertilizer are put into the soil through small cuts made in the surface of the ground. Low Till Agriculture leaves much or all the soil and remains of plants on the ground. They serve as a natural fertilizer and help support the roots of future crops. They take in rain and allow it to flow into the soil instead of running off. It has been proved that Low Till Farming increases harvests and reduces water use, and this method reduced the need for chemical products because there are fewer unwanted plants. Scientists say Low Till Farming is becoming popular in South Asia, which is facing a sever water shortage. They say the area will become depended on imported food unless water is saved through methods like Low Till Farming. Currently, more than 150 million people in South Asia depend on local rice and wheat crops. Farmers grow rice during wet weather. During the dry season they grow wheat in the same fields. Farmers are using the Low Till method to plant wheat after harvesting rice. Scientists say Low Till Agriculture is one of the best examples in the worlds of technologies working for both people, and the environment. & I c7 x( u, p+ r; t W G
' f0 Y1 G! U: U. I' @Questions 33-35 are based on the passage you have just heard. + L3 r g3 q9 q' z) z
Question 33:; }0 r/ S" k1 T2 ^4 d
What is the main problem cause by the usual way of plowing? , m( h" c" r: x0 m/ g9 J
Question 34:
8 x5 T, A e( Q- {What does the speaker say about Low Till Farming?
. n5 ~* i& R! j4 s3 m% oQuestion 35:3 D* X5 K1 P; o
Where is Low Till Farming becoming popular?
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T- S8 j3 u; I& n% I0 m1 OSection C; ` }, u. m4 Q0 |) d0 e/ x
Directions: In this section you will hear a passage three times. When the passage is read for the first time, you should listen carefully for its general idea. When the passage is read the second time you are required to fill in the blanks numbered from 36-43 with the exact words you have just heard. For the blanks numbered 44-46 you are required to fill in the missing information. For these blanks you can either use the exact words you have just heard or write down the main points in your own words. Finally, when the passage is read for the third time, you should check what you have written. Now, listen to the passage.
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/ y& j8 ^) i( C. N1 D9 dAdults are getting smarter about how smart babies are. Not long ago, researches learned that four day olds could understand (36) addition and subtraction. Now British research (37) psychologist Gram Shaffer has discovered that infants can learn words or uncommon things long before they can speak. He found that nine month old infants could be taught through repeated show and tell to (38) recognize the names of objects that were foreign to them, a result that (39) challenges in some ways, the received (40) wisdom that apart from learning to (41) identify things common to their daily lives, children don’t being to build vocabulary until well into their second year. “It’s no (42) secret that children learn words, but the words they tend to know are linked to (43) specific situations in the home,” explains Shaffer. (44)This is the first demonstration that we can choose what words the children will learn and that they can respond to them with an unfamiliar voice giving instructions in an unfamiliar setting. “Figuring out how human acquire language may shed light on why some children learn to read and write later than others,” Shaffer says, “and could lead to better treatments for developed mental problems.” (45)What’s more, the study of language acquisition offers direct insight into how humans learn. “Language is a test case for human cognitive development,” says Shaffer. “but parents eager to teach their infants should take note.(46) Even without being taught new words a control group caught up with the other infants within a few months.” This is not about advancing development, he says, it’s just about what children can do at an earlier age than what educators have often thought. |