[00:07.08]College English Test--Band Six
[00:10.91]Part III Listening Comprehension
[00:14.41]Section A
[00:17.15]Directions: In this section,
[00:20.55]you will hear 8 short conversations and 2 long conversations.
[00:24.48]At the end of each conversation,
[00:26.67]one or more questions will be asked about what was said.
[00:30.17]Both the conversation and the questions will be spoken only once.
[00:34.88]After each question there will be a pause.
[00:37.83]During the pause,
[00:39.79]you must read the four choices marked A), B), C) and D),
[00:45.27]and decide which is the best answer.
[00:47.89]Then mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 2
[00:52.38]with a single line through the centre.
[00:54.90]Now, let’s begin with the eight short conversations.
[00:59.60]11. M: I need to find a dentist,
[01:05.07]you said you know Dr. Smith well, do you recommend her?
[01:08.90]W: Well, I had to see her a few times,
[01:11.85]but what impressed me most were the magazines
[01:16.01]in her waiting room.
[01:18.64]Q: What does the woman imply?
[01:35.29]12. W: I’m afraid I can’t show you the apartment
[01:39.56]at the moment, because the tenant is still living in it.
[01:42.51]It’s really a lovely place with
[01:44.70]a big kitchen and a sunny window, for only ＄200 a month.
[01:48.97]M: Sounds good, but we really can’t rent an apartment
[01:52.47]without seeing it first.
[01:54.87]Q: What do we learn from the conversation?
[02:12.64]13. M: So, that’s what’s been keeping you so busy recently!
[02:18.00]W: Yes, I’ve been tied up with my studies.
[02:20.85]You know I’m planning to go to the United States
[02:23.80]this coming summer, but I’m a bit nervous about my English.
[02:28.18]Q: What is the woman busy doing?
[02:46.14]14. W: How did you feel when you found out
[02:50.08]you had high blood pressure?
[02:52.06]M: Shocked! The problem for me was that
[02:54.57]there were no symptoms; it seemed to have sneaked up on me.
[02:58.62]Q: What does the man mean?
[03:15.96]15. W: So, you’re just back from a trip to India.
[03:22.85]What were you doing there?
[03:24.93]M: The trip was intended to bring to
[03:27.22]the world’s attention the fact that AIDS is not
[03:30.18]just an African disease; it’s also endangering other countries,
[03:34.34]notably, India and Thailand.
[03:37.29]Q: What was the purpose of the man’s trip to India?
[03:56.70]16. M: It’s quite clear for my visit,
[04:00.62]this is a full size, comprehensive university.
[04:04.34]So why is it still called a college?
[04:07.18]W: The College of William and Mary is
[04:10.14]the second oldest institution of higher learning
[04:12.98]in this country. We have nurtured great minds like
[04:16.16]Thomas Jefferson and we are proud of our name.
[04:19.54]Q: What do we learn from this conversation about
[04:23.05]the College of William and Mary?
[04:40.82]17. M: Have the parts we need for
[04:44.21]the photo copying machine arrived yet?
[04:46.62]W: I ordered them last week,
[04:48.48]but something is holding them up.
[04:50.56]Q: What does the woman say about the parts
[04:53.07]needed for the photo copying machine?
[05:09.32]18. W: The cafeteria provided many kinds of dishes for us today.
[05:16.43]Did you notice that?
[05:18.29]M: Yes, kind of rare, isn’t it?
[05:21.24]Q: What does the man imply?
[05:38.69]Now you’ll hear the two long conversations.
[05:42.52]Conversation One
[05:45.58]W: Hello, Patrick, is that you?
[05:49.85]M: Yeah Jane, what can I do for you?
[05:52.58]W: I was calling about the apple tree that
[05:55.10]you were trimming yesterday.
[05:57.18]M: That was hard work!
[05:59.43]W: I’m sure it was. It true looked difficult.
[06:02.49]M: Yeah, I’m glad it’s finished.
[06:04.80]Hauling the branches to the front for
[06:07.09]garbage pick-up was no fun either.
[06:09.50]W: Well, I don’t think you’re quite finished yet,
[06:12.67]some of the larger branches fell over into my yard,
[06:16.18]and I think you should come and get them.
[06:18.57]M: Listen Jane, I don’t see why I should do that.
[06:21.86]You’ve eaten all the apples that fall in your yard
[06:25.36]and you’ve never complained about that before.
[06:27.98]W: Well, it’s easier to pick up apples than
[06:30.72]to drag tree branches all the way to the curb.
[06:33.57]My kids pick up the apples, and the branches are
[06:36.74]just too big for them to drag.
[06:39.15]M: Well, I guess you’ll just have to do it yourself Jane.
[06:42.76]W: Patrick, I wish you would reconsider.
[06:45.27]We’ve always gotten along fairly well,
[06:48.12]but I think you’re out of line here.
[06:49.98]The branches are your responsibility.
[06:52.71]M: Sorry Jane, I disagree!
[06:55.10]You take the benefits of the apple tree,
[06:57.51]but refuse to deal with the bad side of it!
[07:00.68]Besides, it won’t take you any time to
[07:03.85]get the branches out front!
[07:05.93]W: Get the branches off my property
[07:09.11]or I’ll have to sue you.
[07:11.19]M: Yeah? For what?!
[07:12.93]You’re taking those law classes too seriously!
[07:15.89]I’ve gotta go, I have to pick up my son.
[07:18.73]W: You’ll be hearing from me.
[07:20.70]M: Yeah, yeah. See you in court Jane.
[07:23.55]Questions 19 to 22 are based on the conversation
[07:29.02]you have just heard.
[07:31.75]19. What did the man do yesterday?
[07:51.57]20. What did the woman ask the man to do?
[08:10.32]21. What did the woman threaten to do?
[08:30.18]22. What was the man’s reaction to the woman’s threat?
[08:50.79]Conversation Two
[08:52.54]M: Did you hear about the air crash that
[08:55.28]occurred in South America recently?
[08:57.03]It was quite a tragic accident!
[08:59.22]W: No, I didn’t see anything in the news about it.
[09:03.59]What happened?
[09:05.02]M: A foreign airliner was attempting to land at night
[09:08.30]in a mountainous area of Argentina and flew into a hill!
[09:12.23]W: That sounds really terrible! Did anyone survive?
[09:16.94]M: No, everyone aboard, including the crew, was killed instantly.
[09:22.30]W: What were the circumstances?
[09:24.49]Was there bad weather, a fire, or engine failure?
[09:28.76]M: Apparently, there were some low clouds in the area,
[09:32.59]but mostly it was just miscommunication
[09:34.89]between the pilots and the air traffic controllers.
[09:37.83]W: Weren’t they both speaking in English,
[09:40.46]the official international aviation language?
[09:43.53]M: Yes, they were. But the transmission
[09:46.26]from poor quality radios was slightly distorted
[09:49.43]and the accents of the Spanish speaking controllers
[09:52.72]were so strong that the pilots misunderstood a vital instruction.
[09:57.20]W: How could a misunderstanding like that
[10:00.15]caused such a serious accident?
[10:02.78]M: The pilots were told to descend to two-two thousand feet.
[10:07.37]The instruction actually meant 22,000 feet,
[10:10.88]but they thought they heard descend to 2,000 feet.
[10:15.25]That’s a huge difference, and it should have been confirmed,
[10:18.98]but it was not. Unfortunately, the terrain of the mountains
[10:23.02]in Norweija extends up 20,000 feet.
[10:26.19]W: So the pilots did descend to the wrong altitude then,
[10:30.03]thinking they were following the air controllers'instructions.
[10:33.63]M: Sadly enough, yes they did. It was a really bad mistake.
[10:38.34]Many people died as a result of the simple misunderstanding.
[10:42.27]W: Wow, that’s a powerful lesson on
[10:45.56]how important it can be to accurately communicate to each other.
[10:50.26]Questions 23 to 25 are based on the conversation
[10:54.31]you have just heard.
[10:56.24]23. What was the cause of the tragedy?
[11:16.64]24. How high are the mountains in Norweija?
[11:34.96]25. What lesson could be drawn from the accident?

[11:56.35]Section B
[11:57.66]Directions: In this section, you will hear 3 short passages.
[12:02.37]At the end of each passage, you will hear some questions.
[12:05.97]Both the passage and the questions will be spoken only once.
[12:10.13]After you hear a question,
[12:12.10]you must choose the best answer from the four choices
[12:15.71]marked A), B), C) and D). Then mark the corresponding letter
[12:21.51]on Answer Sheet 2 with a single line through the centre.
[12:25.56]Passage One
[12:28.95]Edgar Allen Poe, an American writer, was born in 1809.
[12:33.87]His parents were actors. Edgar was a baby
[12:37.59]when his father left the family. He was two years old
[12:42.19]when his mother died. He was taken into the home of
[12:45.14]a wealthy businessman named John Allen.
[12:48.53]He then received his new name, Edgar Allen Poe.
[12:53.24]As a young man, Poe attended the University of Virginia.
[12:57.29]He was a good student, but he liked to drink alcohol
[13:01.77]and play card games for money. As an unskilled game player,
[13:05.49]he often lost money.
[13:07.79]Since he couldn’t pay off his gambling debt,
[13:10.63]he left university and began working for magazines.
[13:14.47]He worked hard, yet he was not well paid, or well known.
[13:18.84]At the age of 27, he got married.
[13:21.69]For a time it seemed that Poe would find some happiness,
[13:25.40]but his wife was sick for most of their marriage,
[13:29.12]and died in 1847. Through all his crises,
[13:33.94]Poe produced many stories and poems
[13:36.67]which appeared in different publications,
[13:39.08]yet he didn’t become famous until 1845,
[13:43.02]when his poem, The Raven, was published.
[13:46.41]There is a question, however,
[13:48.70]about Poe’s importance in American Literature.
[13:51.22]Some critics say Poe was one of America’s best writers,
[13:55.71]and even had a great influence on many French writers,
[13:59.10]but others disagree. They say Poe’s work
[14:02.49]is difficult to understand and most of his writing
[14:06.65]describes many unpleasant situations and events.
[14:10.37]Edgar Allen Poe died in 1849 when he was 40 years old.
[14:15.84]It is said that he was found dead after days of heavy drinking.
[14:20.54]Questions 26 to 29 are based on the passage you have just heard.
[14:26.01]26. What happened to Edgar Allen Poe’s family, when he was only two years old?
[14:48.89]27. Why did Edgar Allen Poe leave the University of Virginia?
[15:08.81]28. What do some critics say about Edgar Allen Poe?
[15:29.64]29. How did Edgar Allen Poe’s life come to an end?
[15:49.60]Passage Two
[15:50.81]More than fifty years ago,
[15:52.89]the United Nations declared that literacy is a basic human right.
[15:57.04]It’s very important for improving the lives of individuals,
[16:01.31]however, it is estimated that 880 million adults
[16:05.58]around the world are illiterate, that is,
[16:08.32]they are unable to read or write. A majority of them are women.
[16:13.56]More than 110 million school age children in the world
[16:17.72]do not attend school. Many others complete school or fail to
[16:23.19]finish their studies without learning to read or write.
[16:26.26]Many countries depend on the efforts of people
[16:29.65]who offer their time to help illiterate individuals.
[16:32.60]For example, John Mogger became concerned about
[16:36.21]the problem of illiteracy three years ago,
[16:39.16]so he started teaching five prisoners in Brazil.
[16:42.89]In his teaching, he developed a system with this group of prisoners.
[16:47.27]He says his way of teaching can help anyone learn
[16:51.09]how to read and write with about thirty hours of study.
[16:54.81]To learn his system, people must first know
[16:57.98]how to write letters of the alphabet
[17:00.61]and learn which sounds they represent.
[17:03.35]The system divides letters into three groups.
[17:06.52]The first group of letters can be written between two lines.
[17:10.67]The second can be written between two lines
[17:13.95]but part of the letters is above the top line.
[17:16.80]The third group has letters that are partly written
[17:20.74]below the lower line. John Mogger taught his students to
[17:24.35]write simple words from the letters, in this way,
[17:26.76]his students learned more than 700 words.
[17:30.59]Many of them can now write to family members.
[17:33.76]They also can read newspapers and magazines.
[17:37.59]Questions 30 to 32 are based on the passage you have just heard.
[17:43.82]30. According to the speaker, which group of people
[17:49.16]makes up of the majority of the illiterate population?
[18:07.26]31. What is the most important feature of John Mogger’s method
[18:12.52]of teaching the alphabet?
[18:29.19]32. What does John Mogger say about his teaching method?
[18:48.61]Passage Three
[18:50.84]Farmers usually use ploughs to prepare their fields for
[18:55.21]planting crops. Plows cut into the ground,
[18:59.26]and lift up weeds and other unwanted plants.
[19:02.54]However, plowing is blamed for causing severe damage to
[19:07.58]topsoil by removing the plants that protect soil
[19:10.97]from being blown or washed away.
[19:13.70]Many farmers in South Asia are now trying a process
[19:18.89]called Low Till Farming. Low Till Farming limits the use of ploughs.
[19:24.03]In this method of farming seeds and fertilizer are
[19:28.19]put into the soil through a small cut made
[19:30.92]in the surface of the ground. Low Till Agriculture
[19:34.32]leaves much or all of the soil and remains of plants on the ground.
[19:38.80]They serve as a natural fertilizer
[19:41.87]and help support the roots of future crops.
[19:44.82]They take in rain and allow it to flow into
[19:47.77]the soil instead of running off. It has been proved that
[19:51.39]Low Till Farming increases harvests and reduces water use,
[19:56.63]and this method reduces the need for chemical products
[19:59.81]because there are fewer unwanted plants.
[20:03.20]Scientists say Low Till Farming is becoming popular in South Asia,
[20:09.00]which is facing a severe water shortage.
[20:11.74]They say the area will become dependent on
[20:14.69]imported food unless water is saved through methods
[20:17.97]like Low Till Farming. Currently,
[20:21.14]more than 150 million people in South Asia depend on
[20:25.52]local rice and wheat crops. Farmers grow rice during wet weather.
[20:30.33]During the dry season they grow wheat in the same fields.
[20:34.27]Farmers are using the Low Till method to plant wheat
[20:38.21]after harvesting rice. Scientists say Low Till Agriculture
[20:42.69]is one of the best examples in the world of technologies
[20:45.87]working for both people, and the environment.
[20:49.15]Questions 33 to 35 are based on the passage you have just heard.
[20:55.16]33. What is the main problem caused by the usual way of plowing?
[21:16.30]34. What does the speaker say about Low Till Farming?
[21:35.50]35. Where is Low Till Farming becoming popular?

[21:57.49]Section C
[21:59.56]Directions: In this section,
[22:01.64]you will hear a passage three times.
[22:04.60]When the passage is read for the first time,
[22:07.44]you should listen carefully for its general idea.
[22:10.40]When the passage is read for the second time,
[22:13.57]you are required to fill in the blanks
[22:16.20]numbered from 36 to 43 with the exact words you have just heard.
[22:21.23]For blanks numbered from 44 to 46 you are required to
[22:27.03]fill in the missing information. For these blanks,
[22:30.86]you can either use the exact words you have just heard or
[22:34.79]write down the main points in your own words. Finally,
[22:39.17]when the passage is read for the third time,
[22:42.02]you should check what you have written.
[22:44.32]Now listen to the passage.
[22:47.82]Adults are getting smarter about how smart babies are.
[22:52.52]Not long ago, researchers learned that 4-day-olds
[22:57.11]could understand addition and subtraction.
[22:59.74]Now, British research psychologist Graham Schafer
[23:03.35]has discovered that infants can learn words for
[23:06.52]uncommon things long before they can speak.
[23:10.02]He found that 9-month-old infants could be taught,
[23:13.63]through repeated show-and-tell,
[23:15.93]to recognize the names of objects that were foreign to them,
[23:19.76]a result that challenges in some ways the received wisdom that,
[23:24.79]apart from learning to identify things
[23:27.31]common to their daily lives, children don’t begin to
[23:31.03]build vocabulary until well into their second year.
[23:34.42]“It’s no secret that children learn words,
[23:37.60]but the words they tend to know are words linked to
[23:40.65]specific situations in the home, ”explains Schafer.
[23:44.27]“This is the first demonstration that we can choose
[23:47.55]what words the children will learn and that
[23:50.29]they can respond to them with an unfamiliar voice
[23:53.46]giving instructions in an unfamiliar setting.”
[23:55.98]Figuring out how humans acquire language
[23:59.37]may shed light on why some children learn to read
[24:02.87]and write later than others, Schafer says,
[24:05.60]and could lead to better treatments for developmental problems.
[24:09.21]What’s more, the study of language acquisition
[24:12.93]offers direct insight into how humans learn.
[24:16.10]“Language is a test case for human cognitive development,”
[24:20.37]says Schafer. But parents eager to teach their infants
[24:24.53]should take note：even without being taught new words
[24:27.48]a control group caught up with the other infants
[24:30.54]within a few months. “This is not about advancing development,”
[24:35.58]he says. “It’s just about what children can do
[24:38.20]at an earlier age than what educators have often thought.”
[24:44.57]Now the passage will be read again.
[24:48.73]Adults are getting smarter about how smart babies are.
[24:55.84]Not long ago, researchers learned that 4-day-olds
[24:59.78]could understand addition and subtraction.
[25:02.41]Now, British research psychologist Graham Schafer
[25:06.24]has discovered that infants can learn words for uncommon things
[25:10.61]long before they can speak. He found that 9-month-old infants
[25:15.43]could be taught, through repeated show-and-tell,
[25:18.38]to recognize the names of objects that were foreign to them,
[25:22.65]a result that challenges in some ways the received wisdom that,
[25:27.46]apart from learning to identify things
[25:30.09]common to their daily lives, children don’t begin to
[25:33.80]build vocabulary until well into their second year.
[25:37.42]“It’s no secret that children learn words,
[25:40.37]but the words they tend to know are words linked to
[25:43.98]specific situations in the home, ”explains Schafer.
[25:47.27]“This is the first demonstration that we can choose
[25:50.22]what words the children will learn and that
[25:53.28]they can respond to them
[27:04.68]with an unfamiliar voice
[27:06.22]giving instructions in an unfamiliar setting.”
[27:08.95]Figuring out how humans acquire language
[27:12.13]may shed light on why some children learn to read
[27:15.63]and write later than others, Schafer says,
[27:18.25]and could lead to better treatments for developmental problems.
[27:22.19]What’s more, the study of language acquisition
[27:25.58]offers direct insight into how humans learn.
[28:39.70]“Language is a test case for human cognitive development,”
[28:43.19]says Schafer. But parents eager to teach their infants
[28:46.81]should take note：even without being taught new words
[28:50.20]a control group caught up with the other infants
[28:53.26]within a few months.
[30:05.01]“This is not about advancing development,” he says.
[30:08.40]“It’s just about what children can do
[30:11.03]at an earlier age than what educators have often thought.”
[30:18.76]Now the passage will be read for the third time.
[30:22.91]Adults are getting smarter about how smart babies are.
[30:31.01]Not long ago, researchers learned that 4-day-olds
[30:35.17]could understand addition and subtraction.
[30:37.68]Now, British research psychologist Graham Schafer
[30:41.51]has discovered that infants can learn words
[30:44.79]for uncommon things long before they can speak.
[30:48.19]He found that 9-month-old infants could be taught,
[30:51.58]through repeated show-and-tell, to recognize the names
[30:55.41]of objects that were foreign to them,
[30:58.14]a result that challenges in some ways the received wisdom that,
[31:02.84]apart from learning to identify things
[31:05.58]common to their daily lives,
[31:07.66]children don’t begin to build vocabulary
[31:10.07]until well into their second year.
[31:13.02]“It’s no secret that children learn words,
[31:15.64]but the words they tend to know are words linked to
[31:18.82]specific situations in the home, ”explains Schafer.
[31:22.43]“This is the first demonstration that we can choose
[31:25.71]what words the children will learn and that
[31:28.55]they can respond to them with an unfamiliar voice
[31:31.40]giving instructions in an unfamiliar setting.”
[31:34.24]Figuring out how humans acquire language
[31:37.31]may shed light on why some children learn to read
[31:40.91]and write later than others, Schafer says,
[31:43.65]and could lead to better treatments for
[31:46.06]developmental problems. What’s more,
[31:48.91]the study of language acquisition offers direct insight into
[31:52.95]how humans learn. “Language is a test case for
[31:56.89]human cognitive development,” says Schafer.
[31:59.41]But parents eager to teach their infants should take note：
[32:02.91]even without being taught new words a control group
[32:06.96]caught up with the other infants within a few months.
[32:09.69]“This is not about advancing development,” he says.
[32:13.63]“It’s just about what children can do
[32:16.25]at an earlier age than what educators have often thought.”
[32:26.28]This is the end of listening comprehension.