[00:07.00]College English Test--Band Six
[00:10.83]Part III Listening Comprehension
[00:14.44]Section A
[00:16.52]Directions: In this section,
[00:19.25]you will hear 8 short conversations and 2 long conversations.
[00:23.96]At the end of each conversation,
[00:26.47]one or more questions will be asked about what was said.
[00:29.54]Both the conversation and the questions will be spoken only once.
[00:34.14]After each question there will be a pause.
[00:37.88]During the pause,
[00:39.41]you must read the four choices marked A), B), C) and D),
[00:44.66]and decide which is the best answer.
[00:47.39]Then mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 2
[00:52.10]with a single line through the centre.
[00:54.62]Now, let’s begin with the eight short conversations.
[00:59.76]11. M: I’m looking for an unfurnished two-bedroom apartment,
[01:05.23]but all your apartments are furnished.
[01:07.85]W: We can take care of that.
[01:09.94]We can simply remove the furniture.
[01:12.01]Q: What does the woman mean?
[01:28.97]12. W: I don’t agree with Mr. Johnson on his views
[01:34.00]about social welfare. He seems to suggest that
[01:37.18]the poor are robbing the rich.
[01:39.47]M: He might have used better words to express his ideas,
[01:42.76]but I find what he said makes a lot of sense.
[01:45.93]Q: What does the man mean?
[02:03.76]13. W: I’ve been studying all the time
[02:07.38]but still can’t see any improvement in my grades.
[02:10.99]M: Maybe instead of studying in your dorm,
[02:13.94]you’d better go some place
[02:15.69]where there are fewer distractions.
[02:18.21]Q: What does the man advise the woman to do?
[02:37.89]14. W: The seminar originally scheduled for today
[02:42.49]has been cancelled.
[02:44.24]The hours I spent preparing for it are totally wasted.
[02:47.63]M: Not really. As far as I know it’s been
[02:51.02]postponed till next week.
[02:54.30]Q: What does the man say about the seminar?
[03:12.18]15. M: Hi, Janet. I hear you just
[03:16.67]returned from a tour of Australia.
[03:19.52]Did you get a chance to visit the Sydney Opera House?
[03:23.56]W: Of course I did. It would be a shame for anyone
[03:26.63]visiting Australia not to see
[03:28.92]this unique creation in architecture.
[03:31.55]Its magnificent beauty is simply beyond description.
[03:35.38]Q: What do we learn from this conversation?
[03:53.04]16. M: Sherry, how are you doing with your thesis?
[03:58.08]W: Oh, my thesis! That’s something
[04:00.59]I definitely don’t want to talk about right now.
[04:03.77]I finished my first draft some time ago,
[04:06.39]but my supervisor said I should do more research
[04:09.56]if I want to achieve the quality he expects of me.
[04:12.63]Q: What do we learn from the conversation
[04:15.75]about the woman’s thesis?
[04:32.98]17. W: I can’t believe Karen is late for
[04:37.02]such an important occasion as a job interview.
[04:39.98]I reminded her time and again yesterday.
[04:42.93]M: You should have known her better by now.
[04:46.12]Everything you tell her goes in one ear and out the other.
[04:49.96]Q: What does the man imply?
[05:06.97]18.W: Hi, Joe. I wonder if you could do me a favor
[05:12.98]and tell the professor I’ve lost my voice
[05:15.72]so I can’t attend this morning’s class.
[05:18.24]I need the time to study for tomorrow’s exam.
[05:21.30]M: I don’t think it’s wise to say so
[05:23.70]since you are not going to give the lecture.
[05:26.88]You might as well simply skip the class
[05:29.50]and apologize to the professor later.
[05:33.11]Q: What will the woman probably do?
[05:50.44]Now you’ll hear the two long conversations.
[05:55.69]Conversation One
[05:57.89]W: Hi, Professor Johnson.
[06:00.29]M: Hi, Anna. What can I do for you?
[06:03.02]W: Remember, I e-mailed you about getting the handouts
[06:05.87]from the class I missed the other day,
[06:08.28]and you said I could stop by and pick them up today.
[06:10.68]M: Oh, that’s right. You know,
[06:13.09]that’s the fourth class you’ve missed this semester,
[06:15.72]and that’s not doing your grade any good.
[06:18.12]I assume you had a good reason for being out...
[06:21.19]W: I know, I really hated to miss another class,
[06:24.14]but I had the flu, and I could hardly get out of bed.
[06:27.97]That’ll be the last class I miss, though. I promise.
[06:30.82]M: Okay, uh…Oh yes, the handouts.
[06:35.96]There were three of them,
[06:37.71]and I’ll get those for you in just a minute.
[06:39.24]They’re pretty self-explanatory,
[06:41.20]but if you have any questions,
[06:42.85]just send me an e-mail.
[06:44.27]W: Okay, thank you.
[06:45.59]M: Sure. Uh, but we also watched a video,
[06:48.87]and we’ll be having an essay question
[06:51.29]about it on the next exam, so,
[06:54.03]Hmmm…Do you have a VCR at home?
[06:57.42]W: Actually, I don’t, but I do have access to one.
[07:01.54]M: Okay… Well I can lend it to you,
[07:04.71]but the only thing is, you’d have to watch it tonight
[07:07.56]and get it back to me early tomorrow,
[07:09.64]because I’m going to be showing it
[07:11.50]in the other section of that class tomorrow afternoon.
[07:14.62]W: That’ll be great.
[07:15.82]M: Okay...You know what?
[07:17.35]How about if we do it this way?
[07:18.67]I’ll keep it for now and show it in my class tomorrow,
[07:21.39]and uh then you can drop by here
[07:23.80]and pick it up on Friday morning
[07:25.67]and bring it with you when you come to class next week.
[07:28.07]How does that sound?
[07:29.71]W: Oh, yeah. Thank you.
[07:31.90]Questions 19 to 21 are based on the conversation
[07:34.85]you have just heard.
[07:37.37]19. Why does the woman go to see her professor?
[07:56.13]20. What can be inferred about
[08:00.29]why the professor changes the way?
[08:19.10]21. Why will the woman stop
[08:21.61]by the professor’s office on Friday morning?
[08:39.69]Conversation Two
[08:41.88]W: Our lecture today is given by Professor Lincoln.
[08:44.40]He’s going to talk about art movements in the United States.
[08:48.23]M: Yes. I would like to say that their popularity
[08:52.06]can be affected by social conditions and historical events.
[08:56.00]As an example, let’s look at
[08:58.40]what happened in the United States early
[09:00.59]in the 20th Century, around the time of the great depression,
[09:03.54]the art movement known as the Regionalism
[09:07.04]had begun in the United States even
[09:08.69]before the depression occurred.
[09:10.55]But it really became popular in the 1930s,
[09:13.61]during the depression years.
[09:15.47]W: What is the reason for this?
[09:17.44]M: Many artists who had been living in big cities
[09:20.17]were forced by the economic crisis to
[09:22.58]leave those big cities and move back to
[09:24.55]their small towns in rural America.
[09:27.07]Some of them came to truly love the life
[09:29.58]in small towns and to leave
[09:31.23]the “sophisticated society” in cities.
[09:33.74]These artists really built the Regionalism Movement.
[09:36.91]W: What’re the features of Regional Movement?
[09:40.30]M: It’s all about everyday life in small towns
[09:43.15]or farming areas. And their style was
[09:45.44]about glorified or romanticized country life.
[09:48.40]It showed stable, wholesome American traditions.
[09:52.17]W: Why did this style become popular?
[09:54.03]M: It’s partly because of the economic conditions of the time.
[09:57.41]You see, the Depression had caused many Americans
[10:00.59]to begin to doubt their society.
[10:02.56]But regionalism artists painted scenes
[10:05.30]that glorified American values,
[10:07.48]scenes that many Americans could easily identify with.
[10:10.55]So the movement helped strengthen
[10:13.39]people’s faith in their country.
[10:15.36]W: What was Regionalism like after the depression?
[10:18.10]M: Before and after the Second World War,
[10:20.63]American culture began to take on
[10:22.48]a much more international spirit, and Regionalism,
[10:25.71]with its focus on small town life, lost its popularity,
[10:29.42]as American society changed once again.
[10:32.49]Questions22 to 25 are based on
[10:36.86]the conversation you have just heard.
[10:39.16]22. What is the lecture mainly about?
[10:58.01]23. What does the professor say about
[11:02.71]the artists in the USA during the Great Depression?
[11:21.14]24. What kind of scene might be shown
[11:25.07]in a typical regionalist painting?
[11:41.86]25. What happened in the USA around WWII
[11:47.12]that affected the popularity of the regionalism art?

[12:05.61]Section B
[12:09.56]Directions: In this section,
[12:13.17]you will hear 3 short passages.
[12:15.79]At the end of each passage,
[12:18.09]you will hear some questions.
[12:20.06]Both the passage and the questions will be spoken only once.
[12:23.88] After you hear a question,
[12:26.29]you must choose the best answer from the four choices
[12:29.79]marked A), B), C) and D).
[12:34.06]Then mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 2
[12:38.66]with a single line through the centre.
[12:41.17]Passage One
[12:43.90]Both John and Sue joined the staff of
[12:47.40]a successful public relations firm
[12:49.71]in New York during the same year.
[12:52.88]They had just completed their PR degrees at
[12:55.72]a nearby university and were thrilled
[12:59.01]to be hired by one of the finest PR firms
[13:01.85]in the city. John’s first assignment was
[13:05.57]to create a promotion campaign for a client
[13:08.96]who was putting a new game on the market.
[13:11.37]Initially, Sue was assigned to work
[13:14.87]with a sportswear company on a marketing
[13:17.49]concept for its newest line of clothing.
[13:20.45]As time passed and work with their respective
[13:23.95]first clients became more and more difficult,
[13:27.01]John and Sue realized that they had been assigned
[13:30.84]two of the toughest accounts in town.
[13:33.36]Although John completed his assignment quickly
[13:37.30]and successfully, he was furious
[13:40.25]when he learned that the boss had deliberately
[13:42.88]assigned him a difficult account.
[13:45.50]In response, he not only complained to his colleagues,
[13:49.44]but also to the boss’s secretary.
[13:52.07]Sue, on the other hand,
[13:54.37]had a more difficult time satisfying her first client
[13:57.86]and she took several additional months to actually
[14:01.58]complete the project. However, she just laughed
[14:04.98]when she heard that the boss
[14:07.05]had made the assignments purposely.
[14:09.24]Over the next two years, John worked reluctantly
[14:13.51]with each assignment and problem that he encountered.
[14:17.01]Sue accepted each assignment cheerfully
[14:20.07]and when problems arose,
[14:22.15]she responded with her characteristic
[14:24.45]“No problem, I can handle it”.
[14:26.75]Although Sue took longer to complete her projects than John,
[14:30.90]and both were equally successful
[14:33.42]on assignments they completed,
[14:35.72]Sue was given the first promotion
[14:37.80]when there came a vacancy.
[14:41.52]Questions 26 to 29 are based on the passage you have just heard.
[14:46.63]26. What’s the relationship between John and Sue now?
[15:08.77]27. Why was John furious after he finished his first assignment?
[15:29.28]28. What’s Sue’s attitude to difficult tasks?
[15:52.30]29. How does the story end?
[16:10.33]Passage Two
[16:13.39]American visitors to East Asia are often surprised
[16:18.53]and puzzled by how Asian cultures
[16:21.27]and customs differ from those in the United States.
[16:24.55]What’s considered typical or proper social
[16:28.38]conduct in one country may be regarded as odd, improper,
[16:33.20]or even rude in the other. For example,
[16:36.48]people from some East Asian countries
[16:39.76]may begin a conversation with a stranger
[16:42.49]by asking personal questions about family,
[16:45.78]home or work. Such questions are thought to be friendly
[16:49.72]whereas they might be considered offensive
[16:52.89]in the United States. On the other hand,
[16:55.52]people in most Asian cultures are far more guarded
[16:59.67]about expressing their feelings publicly
[17:02.29]than most Americans are.
[17:04.48]Openly displaying annoyance or anger, yelling,
[17:08.64]arguing loudly and so forth is considered ill-mannered
[17:13.24]in countries such as Japan. Many East Asians prefer to
[17:18.16]hold their emotions in check
[17:20.57]and instead express themselves with great politeness.
[17:24.72]They try not to be blunt and avoid making direct criticisms.
[17:29.64]In fact, they often keep their differences of opinion
[17:33.92]to themselves and merely smile and remain silent
[17:38.40]rather than engage in a confrontation.
[17:41.68]By comparison, Americans are often frank
[17:44.63]about displaying both positive
[17:46.61]and negative emotions on the street
[17:49.34]and in other public places.
[17:52.19]Americans visiting Asia should keep in mind
[17:55.36]that such behavior may cause offence.
[17:58.64]A major difference between American culture
[18:02.36]and most East Asian cultures is that,
[18:05.54]in East Asia, the community is more important
[18:09.03]than the individual.Most Americans
[18:12.36]are considered a success
[18:14.22]when they make a name for themselves.
[18:17.72]Questions 30 to 32 are based on the passage you have just heard.
[18:25.60]30. How would some Asians start their conversation
[18:30.85]when they meet for the first time?
[18:48.95]31. What would a Japanese do when he feels annoyed?
[19:09.57]32. What is encouraged in American culture
[19:13.79]according to the passage?
[19:30.69]Passage Three
[19:34.52]In order for a chemical to be considered a drug,
[19:37.36]it must have the capacity to affect how the body works.
[19:41.08]No substance that has the power to do this is completely safe.
[19:45.68]Drugs are approved only after tests have demonstrated
[19:49.95]that they are relatively safe when used as directed
[19:53.34]and when their benefits outweigh their risks.
[19:56.84]Thus, some very dangerous drugs are approved
[20:00.45]because they are necessary to treat serious illnesses.
[20:03.95]Many people suffer ill effects from drugs,
[20:07.56]called side effects, even though they take the drug exactly
[20:11.50]as directed. The human population contains
[20:15.11]a great variety of genetic variation,
[20:18.06]but drugs are tested on just a few thousand people.
[20:22.00]When a particular drug is taken by millions,
[20:24.95]some people may not respond in a predictable way
[20:28.35]even though the drug has been tested.
[20:31.08]A patient may also acquire a tolerance
[20:34.58]for a certain drug, which means the patient
[20:37.21]has to take ever larger doses to
[20:39.72]produce the desired effect.
[20:41.91]Tolerance may lead to habituation,
[20:43.99]in which the person becomes so dependant on the drug,
[20:47.27]that he or she becomes addicted to it.
[20:50.23]Addiction causes severe psychological
[20:52.96]and physical disturbances
[20:54.83]when the drug is taken away.
[20:56.79]Finally, drugs often have unwanted side effects.
[21:00.73]These usually cause only minor discomfort,
[21:03.57]such as a skin rash, headache or sleepiness.
[21:06.86]Certain drugs, however,
[21:08.72]can produce serious adverse reactions.
[21:13.53]Questions 33 to 35 are based on the passage you have just heard.
[21:19.87]33. Under what circumstances are drugs approved?
[21:41.04]34. Why do many people suffer side effects from a drug,
[21:48.04]even though they take it as directed?
[22:06.14]35. What will happen when patients
[22:10.74]acquire a tolerance for a certain drug?

[22:29.28]Section C
[22:31.25]Directions: In this section,
[22:33.76]you will hear a passage three times.
[22:36.50]When the passage is read for the first time,
[22:39.34]you should listen carefully for its general idea.
[22:42.63]When the passage is read for the second time,
[22:45.47]you are required to fill in the blanks
[22:48.31]numbered from 36 to 43 with the exact words
[22:52.25]you have just heard. For blanks numbered
[22:55.86]from 44 to 46 you are required to
[22:59.04]fill in the missing information.
[23:01.22]For these blanks, you can either use the exact words
[23:04.95]you have just heard or write down
[23:07.35]the main points in your own words.
[23:09.65]Finally, when the passage is read for the third time,
[23:13.48]you should check what you have written.
[23:16.32]Now listen to the passage.
[23:20.48]A new World Bank report warns that children
[23:23.21]who do not get enough good food
[23:24.97]in the first two years of life suffer lasting damage.
[23:28.36]They may suffer from poor health or limited intelligence.
[23:32.08]In addition, it’s reported that
[23:34.92]poorly nourished children are more likely to
[23:37.44]drop out of school and earn less money as adults.
[23:40.94]The report cautions that too little food
[23:43.13]is not the only cause of poor nutrition.
[23:46.41]Many children who live in homes
[23:48.26]with adequate food suffer for other reasons.
[23:50.68]The study also associates malnutrition
[23:53.41]with economic growth in poor countries.
[23:56.36]The study proposes that poor countries
[23:58.77]could possibly double their economic growth
[24:01.07]if they improved nutrition.
[24:03.03]Africa and South Asia are affected the most
[24:06.32]by poor nutrition. The study manifests about
[24:09.38]half of all children in India
[24:11.79]do not get sufficient good food.
[24:13.98]Other parts of the world are also severely influenced,
[24:17.70]including Indonesia, Uzbekistan, Yemen, Guatemala and Peru.
[24:23.39]The study recommends that developing countries
[24:25.79]revise their policies to cope with poor nutrition
[24:28.53]for the sake of improving its economy.
[24:30.61]According to the report, a lack of nutrition
[24:33.45]in early childhood can cost developing nations
[24:36.51]up to three percent of their yearly earnings.
[24:39.36]Therefore, instead of directly providing food,
[24:42.42]the study advocates educational programs in health
[24:45.92]and nutrition for mothers with young babies.
[24:49.10]World Bank nutrition specialist Meera Shekar
[24:51.72]said the period of life between pregnancy
[24:54.13]and two years is extremely important.
[24:56.43]So, governments with limited resources
[24:59.49]should take direct action to improve nutrition
[25:02.56]for children during this period.
[25:06.16]Now the passage will be read again.
[25:10.43]A new World Bank report warns that children
[25:13.49]who do not get enough good food
[25:15.25]in the first two years of life suffer lasting damage.
[25:18.86]They may suffer from poor health or limited intelligence.
[25:22.47]In addition, it’s reported that
[25:25.20]poorly nourished children are more likely to
[25:27.72]drop out of school and earn less money as adults.
[25:31.10]The report cautions that too little food
[25:33.74]is not the only cause of poor nutrition.
[25:36.14]Many children who live in homes
[25:38.22]with adequate food suffer for other reasons.
[25:41.06]The study also associates malnutrition
[25:43.80]with economic growth in poor countries.
[25:46.54]The study proposes that poor countries
[25:49.05]could possibly double their economic growth
[25:51.45]if they improved nutrition.
[25:53.43]Africa and South Asia are affected the most
[25:55.51]by poor nutrition. The study manifests
[25:58.90]about half of all children in India
[26:01.85]do not get sufficient good food.
[26:04.15]Other parts of the world are also severely influenced,
[26:07.43]including Indonesia, Uzbekistan, Yemen, Guatemala and Peru.
[26:13.78]The study recommends that developing countries
[26:16.62]revise their policies to cope with poor nutrition
[26:19.24]for the sake of improving its economy.
[27:31.53]According to the report, a lack of nutrition
[27:34.05]in early childhood can cost developing nations
[27:36.56]up to three percent of their yearly earnings.
[27:39.52]Therefore, instead of directly providing food,
[27:43.24]the study advocates educational programs in health
[27:46.41]and nutrition for mothers with young babies.
[28:59.72]World Bank nutrition specialist Meera Shekar
[29:02.45]said the period of life between pregnancy
[29:04.75]and two years is extremely important.
[29:06.94]So, governments with limited resources
[29:10.01]should take direct action to improve nutrition
[29:13.18]for children during this period.
[30:25.92]Now the passage will be read for the third time.
[30:29.20]A new World Bank report warns that children
[30:32.70]who do not get enough good food in the first two years
[30:35.43]of life suffer lasting damage.
[30:37.95]They may suffer from poor health or limited intelligence.
[30:41.78]In addition, it’s reported that
[30:44.41]poorly nourished children are more likely to
[30:46.71]drop out of school and earn less money as adults.
[30:49.88]The report cautions that too little food
[30:52.61]is not the only cause of poor nutrition.
[30:55.57]Many children who live in homes
[30:57.54]with adequate food suffer for other reasons.
[31:00.05]The study also associates malnutrition
[31:02.68]with economic growth in poor countries.
[31:05.74]The study proposes that poor countries
[31:08.04]could possibly double their economic growth
[31:10.55]if they improved nutrition.
[31:12.20]Africa and South Asia are affected
[31:14.82]the most by poor nutrition. The study manifests about
[31:17.99]half of all children in India do not get sufficient good food.
[31:23.35]Other parts of the world are also severely influenced,
[31:26.98]including Indonesia, Uzbekistan, Yemen, Guatemala and Peru.
[31:32.89]The study recommends that developing countries
[31:35.40]revise their policies to cope with poor nutrition
[31:38.25]for the sake of improving its economy.
[31:40.65]According to the report, a lack of nutrition
[31:43.28]in early childhood can cost developing nations
[31:46.13]up to three percent of their yearly earnings.
[31:49.08]Therefore, instead of directly providing food,
[31:52.25]the study advocates educational programs in health
[31:55.64]and nutrition for mothers with young babies.
[31:58.49]World Bank nutrition specialist Meera Shekar
[32:01.33]said the period of life between pregnancy
[32:03.85]and two years is extremely important.
[32:06.70]So, governments with limited resources
[32:09.21]should take direct action to improve nutrition
[32:12.16]for children during this period.
[32:15.77]This is the end of listening comprehension.