[00:00.54]Test 4
[00:04.48]Section A
[00:05.68]Directions: In this section,
[00:08.34]you will hear 8 short conversations and 2 long conversations.
[00:13.26]At the end of each conversation,
[00:15.22]one or more questions will be asked about what was said.
[00:19.28]Both the conversation and the questions will be spoken only once.
[00:24.53]After each question there will be a pause.
[00:27.70]During the pause, you must read the four choices marked A), B), C) and D),
[00:34.59]and decide which is the best answer.
[00:37.54]Then mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 2
[00:41.75]with a single line through the centre.
[00:43.94]Now let's begin with the 8 short conversations.
[00:48.97]1. M: I hope you don't mind but I want very much to watch the game this coming Sunday.
[00:55.64]W: I certainly do mind, but there's not very much I can do about it, is there?
[01:01.00]Q: What was the woman objecting to?
[01:19.10]2. W: I'm moving to a new place tomorrow.
[01:22.58]Could you possibly give me a hand?
[01:24.66]M: Sure. Why not ask around the department
[01:27.39]and see if some of the other students will be free, too?
[01:30.46]Q: What does the man suggest?
[01:47.67]3. W： Is this line for purchasing tickets?
[01:52.05]M: Yes, but all they have left are tickets for the late performance.
[01:56.31]Q: What can we learn from the conversation?
[02:14.17]4. W: Could you change a fifty-dollar bill?
[02:17.56]M: Fifty? That would take all the change I've got.
[02:20.95]Q: What does the man mean?
[02:39.10]5. M: I really had a busy week. I want to get some rest.
[02:43.15]I always enjoy a long nap on Saturday afternoon.
[02:46.44]W: I wish you could, but Mr. Smith has just parked his car at the door, and he is coming up now.
[02:52.56]Q: What can we learn from this conversation?
[03:11.11]6. W: I am a stranger here. Where can I have copies made of my application?
[03:17.75]M: Isn't there a photocopy machine inside the post office that you were just in?
[03:22.89]Q: What does the man imply?
[03:38.38]7. W: What a memory I have! I did write down the number on a sheet of paper
[03:45.71]when I answered the phone this morning.
[03:47.89]But now the paper has disappeared without any trace.
[03:51.37]M: Don't worry. I'll be seeing Mr. Brown in an hour.
[03:54.88]Q: What do we learn from this conversation?
[04:12.38]8. W: Jim, are you planning to buy that nice blue Ford car you looked at last week?
[04:18.85]M: I'm afraid that's impossible because I haven't been able to come up with the cash,
[04:23.77]and someone else has already made a down payment on it.
[04:27.48]Q: What do we know about Jim?
[04:45.33]Now you'll hear two long conversations.
[04:49.21]Conversation One
[04:50.63]W: Dear audience, this evening we'll talk with a scholar
[04:55.21]who has been doing research into Mark Twain's works for 12 years.
[04:59.80]Welcome, Mr. Waton.
[05:02.21]M: Hi, everyone! Good evening!
[05:04.07]W: What would you like to talk about the great writer? Maybe some details that we don't quite know.
[05:10.19]M: Ok, Mark Twain, who traveled quite a lot, often because circumstances,
[05:16.09]usually financial circumstances forced him to. He was born in Florida Missouri in 1835,
[05:22.98]and moved to Hannibal, Missouri with his family when he was about four years old.
[05:28.34]Most people think he was born in Hannibal, but that isn't true.
[05:32.28]W: Yes, I didn't know it if you don't tell us this evening.
[05:36.33]M: Well, after his father died when he was about twelve,
[05:39.94]Twain worked in Hannibal for a while and then left so he could earn more money.
[05:44.75]He worked for a while as a typesetter on various newspapers,
[05:48.25]and then got a job as a river pilot on the Mississippi.
[05:51.97]W: Did Twain like that job?
[05:54.15]M: He loved this job, and many of his books show it.
[05:57.66]The river job didn't last however, because of the outbreak of the Civil War.
[06:01.81]To avoid joining the army, he went west—California.
[06:06.15]Twain worked as a gold digger without much luck.
[06:09.32]W: That's interesting！
[06:10.74]M: But he did succeed as a writer, once that happened,
[06:14.35]Twain traveled around the country giving lectures and earning enough money to go to Europe.
[06:19.82]Twain didn't travel much the last ten years of his life, and he didn't publish much either.
[06:26.78]Somehow his travel inspired his writings. Like many other popular writers,
[06:31.70]Twain derived much of the materials for his writing from the wealth and diversity of his own experience.
[06:38.38]Questions 9 to 12 are based on the conversation you have just heard.
[06:44.07]9. Which aspect of Mark Twain's life does the speaker focus on?
[07:03.51]10. What job did Twain especially love?
[07:23.39]11. Why did Twain go west?
[07:42.98]12. What connection does the lecture suggest between Twain's travels and his writings?
[08:05.40]Conversation Two
[08:06.58]W: Good afternoon, Dr. Anderson's office.
[08:09.43]M: Hello, my name is John Keat, and I was hoping I could come in today to see the doctor.
[08:14.68]W: Are you a patient of Doctor Anderson?
[08:17.08]M: Well, no. I'm at a convention from Mexico and the manager of the hotel
[08:21.89]where I'm staying suggested that I call you.
[08:24.52]W: Well, I see. What seems to be the problem?
[08:27.70]M: Well, I got this ringing in my ears.
[08:30.43]It's so terrible that I can hardly hear people talking now.
[08:34.14]W: Are you in any pain or is there any fluid?
[08:37.10]M: No discharge, just a slight earache.
[08:39.94]W: Does the pain happen all the time, or once in a while.
[08:43.77]M: It has been aching for two days and it's never stopped.
[08:47.49]I thought it might be due to my flying in the air, and after some rest it'll be all gone.
[08:53.72]But who knows it's getting worse. I need to see the doctor.
[08:57.23]W: The doctor will be busy at the hospital until this evening.
[09:00.72]The earliest you could see him would be tomorrow morning at ten.
[09:04.77]M: The time is good for me. I'll come in then if that's okay.
[09:08.71]W: That will be fine; in the meantime you should try to take it easy.
[09:13.19]Don't press your ear and don't have water in when you take a shower.
[09:17.67]M: Do I have to bring something when I'm seeing the doctor,
[09:21.07]since I have never seen a doctor in Canada.
[09:23.48]W: For foreign visitors, I guess you may bring your passport for the hospital registration.
[09:29.05]M: Yes, I will. Thank you for your help.
[09:31.78]W: Thanks for calling. See you.
[09:33.97]Questions 13 to 15 are based on the conversation you have just heard.
[09:39.33]13. Who is the man speaking to?
[09:58.33]14. What is one of the man's symptoms?
[10:17.40]15. What advice does the woman give the man?

[10:37.63]Section B
[10:38.50]Directions: In this section, you will hear 3 short passages.
[10:43.64]At the end of each passage, you will hear some questions.
[10:47.36]Both the passage and the questions will be spoken only once.
[10:51.51]After you hear a question,
[10:53.37]you must choose the best answer from the four choices marked A), B), C) and D).
[11:00.37]Then mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 2 with a single line through the centre.
[11:06.83]Passage One
[11:08.14]Shopping for clothes is not the same experience for a man as it is for a woman.
[11:14.05]A man goes shopping because he needs something.
[11:17.55]His purpose is settled and decided in advance.
[11:20.72]He knows what he wants, and his objective is to find it and buy it;
[11:25.09]the price is a secondary consideration.
[11:27.82]All men simply walk into a shop and ask the assistant for what they want.
[11:32.86]If the shop has it in stock, the salesman promptly produces it,
[11:37.12]and the business of trying it on proceeds at once.
[11:40.51]All being well, the deal can be and often is completed in less than five minutes,
[11:45.99]with hardly any chat and to everyone's satisfaction.
[11:49.26]How does a woman go about buying clothes?
[11:52.00]In almost every respect she does so in the opposite way.
[11:55.71]Her shopping is not often based on need.
[11:59.22]She has never fully made up her mind what she wants,
[12:02.39]and she may begin her shopping with the assumption that
[12:05.78]“I just want to have a look around.”
[12:08.19]She will try on many dresses.
[12:10.38]She is determined to find something that everyone thinks suits her.
[12:14.09]Most women have an excellent sense of value when they buy clothes.
[12:18.35]They are always looking for the unexpected bargains.
[12:21.42]Faced with a roomful of dresses,
[12:23.71]a woman may spend hours choosing the dresses she wants to try on.
[12:27.55]It is a laborious process, but apparently an enjoyable one.
[12:32.35]Most dress shops provide chairs for the waiting husbands.
[12:36.30]Questions 16 to 19 are based on the passage you have just heard.
[12:41.54]16. What is the topic discussed in the passage?
[13:02.55]17. What does a man usually do when he buys clothes?
[13:22.37]18. Which of the following most particularly interests women?
[13:41.90]19. How do women feel about shopping?
[14:03.40]Passage Two
[14:05.48]America is a nation of sports fans. They learn sports as part of their education.
[14:11.93]They learn two or more ball games, such as football or basketball.
[14:16.30]At high school, they choose groups of boys or girls to make teams.
[14:21.12]They choose those who are best at that sport.
[14:24.18]These teams compete against teams from other schools.
[14:28.45]In many schools students also learn wrestling,
[14:32.38]running, tennis, golf and swimming.
[14:35.34]They have teams for some of these sports, too.
[14:38.62]The games between schools are often very exciting.
[14:42.66]Other students, the ones not on the team, love to watch them.
[14:47.26]They let everyone know this by shouting and cheering when their team plays well.
[14:52.28]Such sports play a very important role in building the students' team spirit,
[14:58.41]which could be very useful in their future career.
[15:01.36]There is a special club of girls and boys, mostly girls,
[15:06.17]who jump up and down and shout for their football team.
[15:09.46]They call themselves cheerleaders, because they lead everyone in shouts and cheers.
[15:15.14]They wear clothes of a special color—the color of their school's team.
[15:20.51]The football players wear that color, too.
[15:23.24]Each school has a team color and a team name.
[15:26.74]Cheerleaders call out the team name in their cheers.
[15:30.52]They practice many hours to learn the special jumping and cheering moves.
[15:35.77]Cheerleading is almost a sport itself,
[15:39.15]and it is very enjoyable to both the players and the audience,
[15:43.20]who really need a moment to relax.
[15:45.39]Questions 20 to 22 are based on the passage you have just heard.
[15:51.08]20. Why is America a nation of sports fans?
[16:12.09]21. What does the speaker think of the games between schools?
[16:32.74]22. What can be learned about cheerleaders?
[16:51.15]Passage Three
[16:52.83]Pat O'Burke was a poor Irishman with a large family to support, and one morning,
[16:58.95]waking up very early from cold and hunger,
[17:02.02]he decided to go shooting in a wood near his cottage.
[17:05.95]The wood belonged to Lord Northwood, a rich gentleman,
[17:10.33]and Pat had no right to go there,
[17:13.06]but in it there were swarms of rabbits and flocks of birds that were good to eat,
[17:18.75]and Pat determined to take the risk. Suddenly he saw the owner,
[17:24.11]with a group of friends, coming towards him in the wood.
[17:27.72]There was a look of anger on Lord Northwood's face as he caught sight of the gun in Pat's hands.
[17:34.50]Pat's heart sank with fear, but he saw there was no hope of escape,
[17:39.75]so he walked boldly up to the company and said to Lord Northwood,
[17:44.88]“Good morning, sir; and what has brought you out so early this morning?”
[17:49.48]Lord Northwood, rather surprised,
[17:53.20]said he and his friends were taking a little exercise to get an appetite for their breakfast.
[17:58.45]Then, looking at Pat with suspicion, he said,
[18:02.50]“But why are you out so early in the morning?” “Well, sir,” said Pat,
[18:07.85]“I just came out to see if I could get a breakfast for my appetite.”
[18:12.56]The whole crowd burst into laughter at Pat's ready wit,
[18:17.04]and with a smile Lord Northwood walked on with the group of friends, all amused,
[18:22.73]leaving Pat to try his luck with the rabbits.
[18:26.12]Questions 23 to 25 are based on the passage you have just heard.
[18:31.59]23. What is Pat's purpose to go to a wood one morning?
[18:52.52]24. Why was Lord Northwood surprised?
[19:11.60]25. What did Lord Northwood do in the end?

[19:32.97]Section C
[19:34.39]Directions: In this section, you will hear a passage three times.
[19:40.29]When the passage is read for the first time,
[19:43.25]you should listen carefully for its general idea.
[19:46.53]When the passage is read for the second time,
[19:49.26]you are required to fill in the blanks numbered from 26 to 33
[19:54.62]with the exact words you have just heard.
[19:57.47]For blanks numbered from 34 to 36 you are required to fill in the missing information.
[20:04.46]For these blanks, you can either use the exact words you have just heard
[20:09.28]or write down the main points in your own words.
[20:12.89]Finally, when the passage is read for the third time,
[20:16.61]you should check what you have written.
[20:18.91]Now listen to the passage.
[20:20.99]Last week, Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns announced help for American farmers hurt by lack of rain.
[20:29.74]The aid will include loans, indirect payments and other assistance for farmers
[20:35.64]in the central western and southern United States.
[20:39.25]However, the weather has endangered some areas,
[20:42.64]but left others with enough rain. The Northeast,
[20:45.93]for example, had sufficient rainfall during the same period.
[20:49.87]Secretary Johanns spoke with reporters during an interview last Thursday to South Dakota.
[20:56.64]He said sixty-four percent of beef cows in America are in drought areas.
[21:02.00]The dry conditions have left little or no grass in many areas where cattle are bred.
[21:07.91]Farmers who feed their cattle grass for part of the year
[21:11.41]have had to purchase food or sell some or all of their animals.
[21:16.00]The Department of Agriculture will provide fifty million dollars in aid for farmers.
[21:21.91]That money will go to affected states
[21:24.43]in the form of awards, or grants, and do not have to be repaid.
[21:29.35]So far the farmers in dry states have been offered awards
[21:33.18]and grants adding up to seven hundred million dollars.
[21:37.33]According to the report, the payment will sustain
[21:40.50]until it covers half the loss of farmers in the dry areas.
[21:44.66]This aid is part of the Direct and Counter-cyclical Payment Program,
[21:49.69]which pays farmers an amount based on a set price for their crop and the number of hectares they have.
[21:57.12]The Program is designed to lift farm income
[22:00.74]when prices drop so as to make sure that farmers' interests will not be impaired.
[22:06.53]This year, Secretary Johanns has moved up payments
[22:10.36]so that farmers can receive them now instead of later in the year.
[22:14.95]Now the passage will be read again.
[22:18.34]Last week, Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns announced help for American farmers hurt by lack of rain.
[22:26.99]The aid will include loans, indirect payments and other assistance for farmers
[22:33.77]in the central western and southern United States.
[22:37.49]However, the weather has endangered some areas,
[22:40.76]but left others with enough rain. The Northeast,
[22:45.04]for example, had sufficient rainfall during the same period.
[22:49.08]Secretary Johanns spoke with reporters during an interview last Thursday to South Dakota.
[22:56.52]He said sixty-four percent of beef cows in America are in drought areas.
[23:02.64]The dry conditions have left little or no grass in many areas where cattle are bred.
[23:09.20]Farmers who feed their cattle grass for part of the year
[23:13.58]have had to purchase food or sell some or all of their animals.
[23:18.07]The Department of Agriculture will provide fifty million dollars in aid for farmers.
[23:24.63]That money will go to affected states
[23:27.14]in the form of awards, or grants, and do not have to be repaid.
[23:32.06]So far the farmers in dry states have been offered awards
[23:36.99]and grants adding up to seven hundred million dollars.
[24:26.63]According to the report, the payment will sustain
[24:29.58]until it covers half the loss of farmers in the dry areas.
[24:34.07]This aid is part of the Direct and Counter-cyclical Payment Program,
[24:39.42]which pays farmers an amount based on a set price for their crop and the number of hectares they have.
[25:32.17]The Program is designed to lift farm income
[25:35.24]when prices drop so as to make sure that farmers' interests will not be impaired.
[25:41.03]This year, Secretary Johanns has moved up payments
[25:44.86]so that farmers can receive them now instead of later in the year.
[26:33.78]Now the passage will be read for the third time.
[26:38.15]Last week, Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns announced help for American farmers hurt by lack of rain.
[26:46.02]The aid will include loans, indirect payments and other assistance for farmers
[26:51.83]in the central western and southern United States.
[26:55.65]However, the weather has endangered some areas,
[26:59.04]but left others with enough rain. The Northeast,
[27:02.16]for example, had sufficient rainfall during the same period.
[27:06.20]Secretary Johanns spoke with reporters during an interview last Thursday to South Dakota.
[27:12.98]He said sixty-four percent of beef cows in America are in drought areas.
[27:18.35]The dry conditions have left little or no grass in many areas where cattle are bred.
[27:24.25]Farmers who feed their cattle grass for part of the year
[27:27.42]have had to purchase food or sell some or all of their animals.
[27:32.35]The Department of Agriculture will provide fifty million dollars in aid for farmers.
[27:38.14]That money will go to affected states
[27:40.76]in the form of awards, or grants, and do not have to be repaid.
[27:45.68]So far the farmers in dry states have been offered awards
[27:49.52]and grants adding up to seven hundred million dollars.
[27:53.56]According to the report, the payment will sustain
[27:56.62]until it covers half the loss of farmers in the dry areas.
[28:00.78]This aid is part of the Direct and Counter-cyclical Payment Program,
[28:06.03]which pays farmers an amount based on a set price for their crop and the number of hectares they have.
[28:13.36]The Program is designed to lift farm income
[28:16.97]when prices drop so as to make sure that farmers' interests will not be impaired.
[28:22.77]This year, Secretary Johanns has moved up payments
[28:26.59]so that farmers can receive them now instead of later in the year.
[28:31.41]This is the end of listening comprehension.