College English Test—Band Six
Part III Listening Comprehension
Section A
Directions:
In this section,
you will hear 8 short conversations
and 2 long conversations.
At the end of each conversation,
one or more questions will be asked about what was said.
Both the conversation 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 2
with a single line through the centre.
Now let's begin with the 8 short conversations.
11. W: Did you use credit cards on your vacation
last month in Europe?
M: Sure did.
They certainly beat going around with a wallet full of big bills.
But carrying lots of cash is still very common among
some older people traveling abroad.
Q: What does the man say about some elderly people?
12. W: Rod must be in a bad mood today.
What’s wrong with him?
M: He was passed over in the selection process
for the dean of the Administration’s Office.
He’d been hoping for the position for a long time.
Q: What does the man mean?
13. M: What a great singer Justin is.
His concert is just awesome
and you’ll never regret the money
you paid for the ticket.
W: Yeah, judging by the amount of applause,
everyone was enjoying it.
Q: What does the woman mean?
14. W: I received an email yesterday from Henry.
Do you remember
he was one of the chairpersons of our Students’ Union?
M: Yes, but I haven’t heard from him for ages.
Actually, I have been out of touch with him
since our first reunion after graduation.
Q: What do we learn about the speakers?
15. M: Driving at night always makes me tired.
Let’s stop for the dinner.
W: Fine, and let’s find a motel
so that we can get an early start tomorrow.
Q: What will the speakers probably do?
16. W: Let’s look at the survey
on consumer confidence we conducted last week.
How reliable are these figures?
M: They have a five percent margin of error.
Q: What are the speakers talking about?
17. W: Look at this catalogue John.
I think I want to get this red blouse.
M: Err. I think you already have one like this in blue.
Do you need every color in the rainbow?
Q: What does the man mean?
18. W: This notice says that
all the introductory marketing classes are closed.
M: That can’t be true.
There are supposed to be thirteen of them this semester.
Q: What does the man mean?
Now you'll hear the two long conversations.
Conversation One
M: I see your new resume
that you worked as a manager
of store called Computer Country,
could you tell me a little more
about your responsibilities there?
W: Sure. I was responsible for overseeing about 30 employees.
I did all of the orderings for the store
and I kept track of the inventory.
M: What was the most difficult part of your job?
W: Probably handling angry customers.
We didn’t have them very often, but when we did,
I need to make sure they were well taken good care of.
After all, the customer is always right.
M: That’s how we feel here, too.
How long did you work there?
W: I was there for three and a half years.
I left the company last month.
M: And why did you leave?
W: My husband has been transferred to Boston
and I understand that your company has an opening there, too.
M: Yes, that’s right. We do.
But the position won’t start until early next month.
Would that be a problem for you?
W: No, not at all.
My husband’s new job doesn’t begin
for a few weeks, so
we thought we would spend some time driving to Boston
and stop to see my parents.
M: That sounds nice.
So, tell me, why are you interested in
this particular position?
W: I know that your company has a great reputation
and wonderful product.
I’ve thought many times that
I would like to be a part of it.
When I heard about the opening in Boston,
I jumped to the opportunity.
M: Well, I’m glad you did.
Questions 19 to 22 are based on the conversation
you have just heard.
19: What was the woman’s previous job?
20: What does the woman say
with the most difficult part of her job?
21: Why is the woman looking for a job in Boston?
22: When can the woman start to work
if she gets the job?
Conversation Two
W: Today, in this studio, we have Alberto Cuties,
the well-known Brazilian advocator of the anti-global movement.
He’s here to talk about the recent report
stating that by 2050, Brazil will be one
of the world’s wealthiest and most successful countries.
Alberto, what do you say about this report?
M: You know this isn’t the first time that
people are saying Brazil will be a great economic power.
The same thing was said over 100 years ago,
but it didn’t happen.
W: Yes, but you must admit
the world’s a very different place now.
M: Of course. In fact,
I believe that there may be some truths
in the predictions this time around.
First of all, though,
we must remember the problems
facing Brazil at the moment.
W: Such as...?
M: There’s an enormous gap
between the rich and the poor in this country.
In San Paulo, you can see shopping malls
full of designer good right next door to the slum areas
without proper water or electricity supplies.
A lot of work needs to be done to help people
in those areas improve their lives.
W: What needs to be done?
M: Education, for example. For Brazil,
to be successful, we need to offer education to all Brazilians.
Successful countries, like South Korea and Singapore
have excellent education systems.
Brazil needs to learn from these countries.
W: So you’re hopeful for the future?
M: As I said earlier, I’m hopeful.
This isn’t an easy job.
We need to make sure that these important opportunities
for Brazil aren’t wasted as they were in the past.
Questions 23 to 25 are based on the conversation
you have just heard.
23: What does the recent report say about Brazil?
24: What problem does Alberto say Brazil faces now?
25: What does Alberto say
about economically successful countries?
Section B
Directions:
In this section,
you will hear 3 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 a question,
you must choose the best answer
from the four choices marked A), B), C) and D).
Then mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 2
with a single line through the centre.
Passage One
Wilma Subra had no intention of becoming a public speaker.
After graduating from college with degrees
in chemistry and microbiology,
she went to work at Gulf South Research Institute in Louisiana.
As part of her job, she conducted field research
on toxic substances in the environment—
often in minority communities
located near large industrial polluters.
She found many families were being exposed to high,
sometimes deadly levels of chemicals and other toxic substances.
But she was not allowed to make information public.
Frustrated by the restrictions,
Subra left her job in 1981, created her own company,
and has devoted the past two decades to helping people
fight back against giant industrial polluters.
She works with families and community groups
to conduct environmental tests, interpret test results,
and organize for change. Because of her efforts,
dozens of toxic sites across the country have been cleaned up.
And one chemical industry spokesperson calls her
a top gun for the environmental movement.
How has Subra achieved all this?
Partly through her scientific training,
partly through her commitment to environmental justice.
But just as important is her ability
to communicate with people through public speaking.
"Public speaking," she says,
"is the primary vehicle I use for reaching people. ''
If you had asked Subra before 1981,
"Do you see yourself as a major public speaker?"
She would have laughed at the idea.
Yet today, she gives more than 100 presentations a year.
Along the way she’s lectured at Harvard,
testified before the Congress
and addressed the audiences in 40 states,
as well as in Mexico, Canada and Japan.
Questions 26 to 29 are based on the passage
you have just heard.
26: What did Wilma Subra do as part of her job
while working at Gulf South Research Institute?
27: Why did Wilma Subra leave her job in 1981?
28: What results have Wilma Subra’s efforts had
in the past two decades?
29: What does the speaker say has
contributed to Wilma Subra’s success?
Passage 2
One of the biggest challenges
facing employers and educators today
is the rapid advance of globalization.
The marketplace is no longer national or regional,
but extends to all corners of the world,
and this requires a global-ready workforce.
Universities have a large part to play in preparing students
for the twenty-first century labor market
by promoting international educational experiences.
The most obvious way universities can help
develop a global workforce is
by encouraging students to study abroad
as part of their course.
Students who have experienced another culture first-hand
are more likely to be global-ready when they graduate.
Global workforce development doesn’t always
have to involve travel abroad, however.
If students learn another language, and study other cultures,
they will be more global-ready when they graduate.
It is important to point out that
students also need to have a deep understanding
of their own culture before they can begin to observe,
analyze and evaluate other cultures.
In multicultural societies,
people can study each other’s cultures
to develop intercultural competencies
such as critical and reflective thinking, and intellectual flexibility.
This can be done both through the curriculum,
and through activities on campus outside of the classroom
such as art exhibitions and lectures from international experts.
Many universities are already embracing this challenge
and providing opportunities for students to become global citizens.
Students themselves, however, may not realize that
when they graduate they will be competing
in a global labor market,
and universities need to raise awareness
of these issues amongst undergraduates.
Questions 30 to 32 are based on the passage
30: What is one of the biggest challenges
facing employers and educators today?
31: What should students do first
before they can really understand other cultures?
32: What should college students realize
according to the speaker?
Passage 3
To see if hair color affects a person’s chances
of getting a job, researchers at California State University asked
136 college students to review the resume and photograph
of a female applicant for a job as an accountant.
Each student was given the same resume.
But the applicant’s picture was altered,
so that in some photos her hair was golden,
in some red and in some brown. The result?
With brown hair, the woman was rated more capable,
and she was offered a higher salary
than when she had golden or red hair.
Other studies have found similar results.
Many respondents rate women with golden hair
as less intelligent than other people,
and red heads as more temperamental.
Women with red or golden hair are victims of
the common practice of stereotyping.
A stereotype is a simplistic or exaggerated image
that humans carrying in their minds about groups of people.
For example, lawyers are shrewd and dishonest
is a popular stereotype.
Stereotyping can occur in public speaking classes.
When trying to choose a speech topic,
some males think that women are uninterested in
how to repair cars,
while some females think that men are uninterested in
creative hobbies, such as knitting and needle point.
We should reject stereotypes, because they force all people
in a group into the same simple pattern.
They fail to account for individual differences,
and the wide range of characteristics among members of any group.
Some lawyers are dishonest, yes! But many are not.
Some women are uninterested in repairing cars, yes!
But some are enthusiastic mechanics.
Questions 33 to 35 are based on the passage
you have just heard.
33: What did researchers at California State University find?
34: What is the popular stereotype of lawyers?
35: Why does the speaker say we should reject stereotypes?
Section C
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 for the second time,
you are required to fill in the blanks
numbered from 36 to 43
with the exact words you have just heard.
For blanks numbered from 44 to 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.
The ancient Greeks developed basic memory systems
called Mnemonics. The name is derived from
their Goddess of Memory, Mnemosene.
In the ancient world,
a trained memory was an immense asset,
particularly in public life.
There were no convenient devices for taking notes
and early Greek orators delivered long speeches with great accuracy
because they learned their speeches using Mnemonic systems.
The Greeks discovered that
human memory is largely an associative process.
That works by linking things together.
For example, think of an apple.
The instinct of your brain registers the word 'apple'.
It recalls the shape, color, taste, smell and texture of that food.
All these things are associated in your memory
with the word 'apple'.
This means that any thought about a certain subject
will often bring up more memories that are related to it.
An example could be
when you think about a lecture you’ve had.
This could trigger a memory
about what you are talking about through that lecture,
which can then trigger another memory.
The associations do not have to be logical.
They just have to make a good link.
An example given on the website I was looking at follows:
Do you remember the shape of Austral,
Canada, Belgium or Germany? Probably not.
What about Italy, though?
If you remember the shape of Italy,
it is because you have been told at sometime
that Italy is shaped like a boot.
You made an association with something
you’ve already known—the shape of a boot.
And Italy’s shape could not be forgotten
once you’ve made the association.
Now the passage will be read again.
The ancient Greeks developed basic memory systems
called Mnemonics. The name is derived from
their Goddess of Memory, Mnemosene.
In the ancient world,
a trained memory was an immense asset,
particularly in public life.
There were no convenient devices for taking notes
and early Greek orators delivered long speeches with great accuracy
because they learned their speeches using Mnemonic systems.
The Greeks discovered that
human memory is largely an associative process.
That works by linking things together.
For example, think of an apple.
The instinct of your brain registers the word 'apple'.
It recalls the shape, color, taste, smell and texture of that food.
All these things are associated in your memory
with the word 'apple'.
This means that any thought about a certain subject
will often bring up more memories that are related to it.
An example could be
when you think about a lecture you’ve had.
This could trigger a memory
about what you are talking about through that lecture,
which can then trigger another memory.
The associations do not have to be logical.
They just have to make a good link.
An example given on the website I was looking at follows:
Do you remember the shape of Austral,
Canada, Belgium or Germany?Probably not.
What about Italy, though?
If you remember the shape of Italy,
it is because you have been told at sometime
that Italy is shaped like a boot.
You made an association with something
you’ve already known—the shape of a boot.
And Italy’s shape could not be forgotten
once you’ve made the association.
Now the passage will be read for the third time.
The ancient Greeks developed basic memory systems
called Mnemonics. The name is derived from
their Goddess of Memory , Mnemosene.
In the ancient world,
a trained memory was an immense asset,
particularly in public life.
There were no convenient devices for taking notes
and early Greek orators delivered long speeches with great accuracy
because they learned their speeches using Mnemonic systems.
The Greeks discovered that
human memory is largely an associative process.
That works by linking things together.
For example, think of an apple.
The instinct of your brain registers the word apple.
It recalls the shape, color, taste, smell and texture of that food.
All these things are associated in your memory
with the word apple.
This means that any thought about a certain subject
will often bring up more memories that are related to it.
An example could be
when you think about a lecture you’ve had.
This could trigger a memory about
what you are talking about through that lecture,
which can then trigger another memory.
The associations do not have to be logical.
They just have to make a good link.
An example given on the website
I was looking at follows:
Do you remember the shape of Austral,
Canada, Belgium or Germany?Probably not.
What about Italy, though?
If you remember the shape of Italy,
it is because you have been told at sometime
that Italy is shaped like a boot.
You made an association with something
you’ve already known—the shape of a boot.
And Italy’s shape could not be forgotten
once you’ve made the association
This is the end of listening comprehension.