[00:06.89]College English Test--Band Six
[00:10.71]Part III Listening Comprehension
[00:14.32]Section A
[00:16.51]Directions: In this section,
[00:19.58]you will hear 8 short conversations and 2 long conversations.
[00:24.06]At the end of each conversation,
[00:26.80]one or more questions will be asked about what was said.
[00:29.86]Both the conversation and the questions will be spoken only once.
[00:34.35]After each question there will be a pause.
[00:37.63]During the pause,
[00:39.60]you must read the four choices marked A), B), C) and D),
[00:44.63]and decide which is the best answer.
[00:47.47]Then mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 2
[00:52.07]with a single line through the centre.
[00:54.69]Now, let’s begin with the eight short conversations.
[01:00.18]11. W: Hey, Dick. You’re wearing
[01:05.21]a black jacket but yellow trousers.
[01:07.40]It’s the strangest combination I’ve ever seen.
[01:10.02]M: I know. I got up late and dressed in a hurry.
[01:13.85]I didn’t realize my mistake until I entered the office.
[01:17.90]Q: What does the woman think of the way Dick is dressed?
[01:37.69]12. M: Excuse me, but has anyone turned in
[01:42.18]a brown leather wallet? I’ve lost my wallet.
[01:45.57]It contains my driver’s license
[01:48.08]and also some family pictures.
[01:50.71]It’s pretty important to me.
[01:52.89]W: Oh, yes. We had a wallet brought in this morning.
[01:56.07]Wait here just a minute, please.
[01:58.48]Q: What will the woman probably do?
[02:16.69]13. M: Excuse me, madam. Is the air-conditioning on?
[02:22.59]This room is getting as hot as a furnace（炉子）.
[02:25.55]W: Sorry, sir. A new epidemic called SARS
[02:29.16]is threatening us right now.
[02:31.13]As preventative measure,
[02:32.77]we are told to let in fresh air by opening the windows
[02:35.83]and not to use air-conditioners.
[02:38.13]Q: What does the woman mean?
[02:55.44]14. M: You look quite different from what you used to.
[02:59.60]W: Sure. I started exercising regularly two years ago
[03:04.19]and went from 253 pounds to a healthy 160 pounds.
[03:09.23]And that’s the only thing I didn’t give up half way.
[03:13.05]Q: What do we know about the woman?
[03:31.60]15. M: I wonder if you find my experience relevant to the job.
[03:36.74]W: Yes, certainly, but if only you have sent
[03:40.47]in your application letter a week earlier.
[03:42.54]Q: What does the woman imply?
[04:01.30]16. W: Shouldn’t someone go pick up
[04:04.69]the clothes from the laundry? They were ready 3 hours ago.
[04:07.86]M: Don’t look at me, mom.
[04:10.05]Q: What does the boy mean?
[04:27.49]17. M: Er...hi! Could you tell me
[04:32.20]where electronic products displayed?
[04:35.48]I want to see some TVs, digital video cameras, DVD players,
[04:40.51]that sort of thing.
[04:42.15]W: Well. Several countries are displaying electronic products.
[04:45.44]China selection is very large this year.
[04:48.28]You might as well go to the east wing first
[04:51.13]to take a look at the Chinese booth（货摊）.
[04:54.19]Q: Where is the conversation most probably taking place?
[05:13.02]18. M: Well. What do you think of the movie?
[05:17.40]W: I don’t know why I let you talk me into going.
[05:20.57]I just don’t like violence.
[05:23.20]Next time you’d better choose a comedy.
[05:25.17]Q: What can we infer from the conversation?
[05:43.48]Now you’ll hear the two long conversations.
[05:48.62]Conversation One
[05:50.45]M: I just finished reading a book of short stories
[05:53.52]by Hemlen Garlen called May Traveled Road.
[05:56.36]I really enjoyed it. Have you ever read it?
[05:59.21]W: yes, it was a required reading in American literature course
[06:03.14]I took last year. Even though it’s a fiction,
[06:05.88]you get a realistic picture of the hard life people
[06:08.51]had on the American frontier.
[06:10.69]I don't think I would survive 19th century frontier life.
[06:14.30]M: Me either. Remember that story among the car roads?
[06:19.01]Garlen gives a vivid description of Julie Peterson,
[06:22.72]that young immigrant girl; she had to work on her family farm.
[06:26.99]M: Ah ha.
[06:27.33]W: Well, when Julie feels exhausted,
[06:30.18]and she is wishing she can escape from her hard labor,
[06:32.80]she looks over her father working in the next field.
[06:35.97]And she is inspired to continue her own work.
[06:39.25]W: I do remember that story.
[06:41.01]Garlen really captures the spirit of hard work
[06:43.74]that was so typical of immigrants and pioneers
[06:46.81]who settled the American Midwest.
[06:48.99]It’s difficult to imagine that.
[06:50.96]Nothing seems to discourage them for long.
[06:53.80]M: I wonder how Garlen learn so much about the Midwest.
[06:57.52]Was he from Boston?
[06:59.49]W: He lived in Boston.
[07:01.02]In fact, he studied and taught in Boston.
[07:03.32]But I think he was born in Wisconsin.
[07:06.82]He did grow up in the Midwest.
[07:08.90]M: No wonder his description is so good,
[07:11.74]I'm going to take this book back to the library now
[07:14.59]and see what other Garlen's works I can find.
[07:17.11]W: Ok, let me know if there’re any interesting ones
[07:20.39]because I’d like to read them too.
[07:22.80]Questions 19 to 21 are based on
[07:26.69]the conversation you have just heard.
[07:28.33]19. What are the man and the woman discussing?
[07:49.03]20. What does Hemlen Garlen describe in May Traveled Road?
[08:10.28]21. Where's the man going now?
[08:27.19]Conversation Two
[08:31.67]M: Let's turn our focus now to advertising.
[08:34.08]We all know what an advertisement is;
[08:37.14]it's essentially a message that announces something for sale.
[08:40.21]W: Last time you said there is an important precondition
[08:42.83]that must exist before you have advertising,
[08:46.55]and that's a large supply of consumer goods,
[08:49.39]that is, things to sell.
[08:51.69]M: Yes, when there’s a demand for a product
[08:54.86]that is greater than the supply,
[08:57.05]there's no need to advertise.
[08:59.02]Now, the early form of advertising going back
[09:01.75]many hundreds of years with a simple sign
[09:04.49]there were shop doors that told you
[09:06.79]whether the shop was a bakery,
[09:08.54]a butcher shop or some other shop.
[09:10.95]Advertising increased substantially as products like coffee,
[09:15.48]tea and chocolate appeared in newspapers
[09:17.55]and other periodicals as well as on the side of buildings.
[09:20.73]In the American colonies, advertising in newspapers
[09:24.23]became a major factor in marketing goods and services.
[09:28.17]W: I guess these early advertisements were quite small,
[09:31.01]not the whole page spreads of today.
[09:33.96]M: Yes, that’s right.
[09:35.60]Probably because the news often consisted of less
[09:38.34]and fresh reports from distant Europe,
[09:40.97]for the ads were current or local.
[09:43.16]Advertising really came into its own
[09:45.12]and became a central part of doing business
[09:47.86]during the industrial revolution;
[09:49.50]suddenly there was a much greater supply of things to sell.
[09:53.11]And as we said earlier,
[09:55.08]that is the driving force behind advertising.
[09:57.60]People's attention had been drawn to the new product.
[10:00.66]Let's take a look at some of the advertisements
[10:04.05]from that time next time.
[10:06.56]Questions22 to 25 are based on the conversation you have just heard.
[10:11.82]22. What is the main topic of the talk?
[10:30.25]23. What does the speaker say
[10:35.06]is the important precondition for advertising?
[10:52.29]24. According to the speaker,
[10:55.57]what was the early advertisement?
[11:14.11]25. When did advertising
[11:16.52]become a central part of doing business?

[11:20.37]Section B
[11:22.02]Directions: In this section,
[11:25.95]you will hear 3 short passages.
[11:29.13]At the end of each passage,
[11:31.21]you will hear some questions.
[11:33.39]Both the passage and the questions will be spoken only once.
[11:37.66]After you hear a question,
[11:39.08]you must choose the best answer
[11:41.16]from the four choices marked A), B), C) and D).
[11:46.85]Then mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 2
[11:51.55]with a single line through the centre.
[11:54.07]Passage One
[11:57.57]Few people can stand for the spirit of early America
[12:01.40]as much as Benjamin Franklin.
[12:03.26]He lived through almost the whole of the 18th century:
[12:06.87]he was born 6 years after the century began
[12:10.37]and died 10 years before it ended.
[12:13.21]During this time, he saw the American colonies
[12:16.71]grow from tiny settlements into a nation,
[12:19.56]and he also contributed much to the new state.
[12:22.73]He was deeply interested in science and natural history
[12:26.78]and his experiments with electricity
[12:29.40]and lighting led directly to the invention of lightening rod.
[12:33.23]He was also interested in
[12:35.39]improving the conditions of his fellow men.
[12:38.45]He was involved in a number of projects
[12:41.52]in his native Philadelphia,
[12:43.38]including the setting up of a library,
[12:45.67]a university, a philosophical society
[12:48.51]and a fire prevention service.
[12:51.36]He worked hard to enable the American colonies
[12:54.65]to gain independence from Britain.
[12:56.83]As ambassador to France, he encouraged the French to
[13:00.55]help George Washington. After the war,
[13:03.94]he attended the American constitutional congress.
[13:07.22]This was his last contribution for he died later that year.
[13:11.38]He is still fondly remembered by Americans
[13:14.88]as one of the creators of the United States.
[13:17.84]Questions 26 to 28 are based on the passage you have just heard.
[13:24.29]26. What does the speaker say about Benjamin Franklin?
[13:44.69]27. How did Franklin help George Washington?
[14:06.40]28. According to the passage,
[14:09.79]what is Franklin still well remembered as?
[14:29.08]Passage Two
[14:30.19]Yuppies are young people who earn a lot of money
[14:34.83]and live in a style that is too expensive for most people.
[14:37.78]If you are invited to a Yuppies dinner party,
[14:41.06]don’t be surprised if you are offered freshly cooked insects
[14:45.55]as the first course.
[14:46.98]While the idea of eating fried insects
[14:49.93]fills most of us with horror,
[14:52.00]insect-eating is becoming highly fashionable.
[14:54.85]For example, in the media industry,
[14:58.13]successful executives are often seen to
[15:00.76]eat fried or boiled insects from time to time
[15:04.58]while working at their desks.
[15:07.10]These safe-to-eat insects can be found
[15:10.50]and ordered on the Internet and young people
[15:13.45]are logging on to exotic food websites
[15:16.62]and ordering samples of prepared insects
[15:20.12]to serve at their dinner parties.
[15:22.42]Although the idea of eating insects
[15:25.05]is probably disgusting to most of us,
[15:28.00]few people would claim that pigs,
[15:30.73]chickens and some kinds of seafood
[15:33.25]we often eat are examples of great beauty.
[15:36.54]One day, insects could be marketed
[15:40.14]and sold as a food item in supermarkets.
[15:43.32]According to their fans,
[15:45.61]they are not only high in protein and low in fat,
[15:48.79]but also very tasty. But until our attitudes to
[15:53.39]food change fundamentally,
[15:55.68]it seems that insect-eaters will remain a selected few.
[15:59.73]Questions 29 to 32 are based on the passage you have just heard.
[16:06.84]29. Why does the speaker say
[16:12.09]we might be surprised at a Yuppie dinner party?
[16:30.41]30. Where can people order the unusual food
[16:34.78]mentioned by the speaker?
[16:52.12]31. Why are some Yuppies attracted by the unusual food?
[17:10.55]32. What does the speaker say about the future of
[17:17.22]this type of unusual food?
[17:35.08]Passage Three
[17:37.05]Many people dislike walking to the bank,
[17:39.46]standing in long lines and running out of cheques.
[17:42.52]They are dissatisfied with their bank’s limited hours too.
[17:46.46]They want to do some banking at night and on weekends.
[17:50.40]For such people, their problems may soon be over.
[17:54.45]Before long, they may be able to do their banking
[17:58.17]from the comfort of their own home,
[18:00.47]any hour of the day, any day of the week.
[18:03.31]Many banks are preparing online branches or Internet offices,
[18:08.56]which means people will be able to
[18:10.86]take care of much of their banking business
[18:13.05]through their home computers.
[18:15.02]This process is called “interactive banking”.
[18:18.08]At these online branches,
[18:21.80]customers will be able to view all their accounts,
[18:24.21]remove money between their accounts,
[18:26.50]apply for a loan and get current information on products
[18:30.23]such as credit cards.
[18:32.41]Customers are also able to pay their bills electronically
[18:35.69]and even E-mail questions to the bank.
[18:38.43]Banks are creating online services for several reasons.
[18:42.92]One reason is the bank must compete for customers
[18:47.18]who will switch to another bank
[18:49.15]if they are dissatisfied with the service they receive.
[18:51.55]The conveniences of online banking
[18:54.18]appeals to the kind of customer banks most want to keep.
[18:57.68]That is people who are young, well-educated
[19:00.85]and have good incomes. Banks also want to take advantage of
[19:05.67]modern technology since they have moved into the 21st century.
[19:09.94]Questions 33 to 35 are based on the passage you have just heard.
[19:16.28]33. What is one of the reasons for people’s
[19:21.20]dissatisfaction with traditional banks?
[19:39.53]34. What kind of customer does online banking most appeal to?
[20:01.02]35. Why do banks create online services according to the passage?

[20:21.75]Section C
[20:24.81]Directions: In this section,
[20:27.44]you will hear a passage three times.
[20:30.28]When the passage is read for the first time,
[20:33.13]you should listen carefully for its general idea.
[20:36.30]When the passage is read for the second time,
[20:39.25]you are required to fill in the blanks
[20:42.21]numbered from 36 to 43 with the exact words
[20:45.93]you have just heard. For blanks numbered
[20:49.64]from 44 to 46 you are required to
[20:52.82]fill in the missing information.
[20:55.34]For these blanks, you can either use the exact words
[20:58.84]you have just heard or write down the main points
[21:02.12]in your own words. Finally,
[21:04.85]when the passage is read for the third time,
[21:07.69]you should check what you have written.
[21:10.98]Now listen to the passage.
[21:13.06]The United Nations Development Program says
[21:16.12]the world is facing a water crisis.
[21:19.19]It says each year, more than two million children
[21:22.68]die from diseases caused by unclean water.
[21:25.86]Most of these deaths are from sicknesses caused
[21:29.36]by unclean water contaminated by human waste.
[21:32.42]The warning is in this year's Human Development Report,
[21:35.92]released by the U.N. agency on November ninth.
[21:39.32]Kevin Watkins, the lead writer,
[21:42.05]says these deaths could be
[21:43.80]prevented with clean water and toilets.
[21:45.88]The report also finds that over half the people
[21:48.83]in underdeveloped countries
[21:50.69]suffer from health problems due to unhealthy water
[21:53.43]and lack of waste removal systems.
[21:56.38]Mister Watkins says the crisis in health care
[21:59.12]also diminishes economic growth in many developing nations.
[22:03.50]The report says more than one thousand million people
[22:06.78]in the world do not have clean water and sanitation.
[22:10.06]The Human Development Report proposes
[22:13.01]a three-part action plan to help solve the crisis.
[22:16.40]First, Mister Watkins says national legislation
[22:20.12]is needed that provides citizens with the right to
[22:23.30]twenty liters of water a day.
[22:25.81]Second, the action plan calls on each nation to
[22:28.99]spend more on water and healthcare facilities.
[22:32.05]Third, the plan calls for increased international aid.
[22:35.66]This would require an additional
[22:37.84]four thousand million dollars a year,
[22:40.58]or two times as much international aid,
[22:43.97]in the next ten years.
[22:45.39]Mister Watkins says the world is not running out of water.
[22:48.46]The crisis is not because of scarcity
[22:51.41]but the governance of water.
[22:53.27]The report also urges governments to consider fairness,
[22:56.67]equality and social justice when supervising water.
[23:00.93]Now the passage will be read again.
[23:04.32]The United Nations Development Program
[23:07.71]says the world is facing a water crisis.
[23:10.67]It says each year, more than two million children
[23:14.28]die from diseases caused by unclean water.
[23:17.34]Most of these deaths are from sicknesses caused
[23:21.17]by unclean water contaminated by human waste.
[23:24.12]The warning is in this year's Human Development Report,
[23:27.52]released by the U.N. agency on November ninth.
[23:31.13]Kevin Watkins, the lead writer,
[23:33.53]says these deaths could be prevented with
[23:36.27]clean water and toilets. The report also finds that
[23:39.22]over half the people in underdeveloped countries
[23:41.96]suffer from health problems due to unhealthy water
[23:45.35]and lack of waste removal systems.
[23:47.76]Mister Watkins says the crisis in health care
[23:50.71]also diminishes economic growth in many developing nations.
[23:54.98]The report says more than one thousand million people
[23:58.58]in the world do not have clean water and sanitation.
[24:01.76]The Human Development Report
[24:04.28]proposes a three-part action plan to help solve the crisis.
[24:08.11]First, Mister Watkins says national legislation is needed
[24:12.37]that provides citizens with the right to
[24:14.89]twenty liters of water a day.
[25:27.53]Second, the action plan calls on each nation to
[25:30.16]spend more on water and healthcare facilities.
[25:33.77]Third, the plan calls for increased international aid.
[25:37.27]This would require an additional
[25:39.46]four thousand million dollars a year,
[25:41.87]or two times as much international aid,
[25:44.89]in the next ten years.
[26:57.09]Mister Watkins says the world is not running out of water.
[27:00.15]The crisis is not because of scarcity
[27:02.66]but the governance of water.
[27:04.85]The report also urges governments to consider fairness,
[27:08.24]equality and social justice when supervising water.
[28:23.51]Now the passage will be read for the third time.
[28:26.35]The United Nations Development Program
[28:29.41]says the world is facing a water crisis.
[28:32.48]It says each year, more than two million children
[28:35.87]die from diseases caused by unclean water.
[28:39.26]Most of these deaths are from sicknesses caused
[28:42.76]by unclean water contaminated by human waste.
[28:46.04]The warning is in this year's Human Development Report,
[28:49.32]released by the U.N. agency on November ninth.
[28:52.50]Kevin Watkins, the lead writer,
[28:55.23]says these deaths could be prevented with
[28:57.86]clean water and toilets. The report also finds that
[29:01.14]over half the people in underdeveloped countries
[29:03.87]suffer from health problems due to unhealthy water
[29:07.05]and lack of waste removal systems.
[29:10.00]Mister Watkins says the crisis in health care also
[29:12.96]diminishes economic growth in many developing nations.
[29:16.79]The report says more than one thousand million people
[29:20.18]in the world do not have clean water and sanitation.
[29:23.57]The Human Development Report proposes
[29:26.41]a three-part action plan to help solve the crisis.
[29:29.92]First, Mister Watkins says national legislation
[29:33.42]is needed that provides citizens with the right
[29:36.58]to twenty liters of water a day.
[29:38.77]Second, the action plan calls on each nation to
[29:42.49]spend more on water and healthcare facilities.
[29:45.56]Third, the plan calls for increased international aid.
[29:49.06]This would require an additional
[29:51.25]four thousand million dollars a year,
[29:53.87]or two times as much international aid,
[29:56.72]in the next ten years.
[29:58.80]Mister Watkins says the world is not running out of water.
[30:01.75]The crisis is not because of scarcity
[30:04.70]but the governance of water.
[30:06.67]The report also urges governments to consider fairness,
[30:09.96]equality and social justice when supervising water.
[30:14.36]This is the end of listening comprehension.