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. M：The biological project is now in trouble,
you know my colleague and I have completely different ideas
about how to proceed.
W：Why don't you compromise?
Try to make it a win-win situation for you both.
Q：What does the woman suggest the man do?
12. M：How does Nancy like the new dress she bought in Rome?
W：She said she would never have bought an Italian style dress
if she had known Mary had already got such a dress.
Q：What do we learn from the conversation?
13. M：You are not going to do all those dishes
before we leave, are you?
If we don't pick up George and Martha in 25 minutes
we will never get to the theater on time.
W：Oh, didn't I tell you,
Martha called to say her daughter was ill
and they could not go tonight.
Q：What is the woman probably going to do first?
14. M ：You've been hanging on to the phone for quite a while,
who were you talking with?
W：Oh, it was Sally, you know,
she always has the latest news in town
and can't wait to talk it over with me.
Q：What do we learn about Sally from the conversation?
15. W：It's always been hard to get this car into first gear,
and now the clutch seems to be slipping.
M：If you leave the car with me,
I will fix it for you this afternoon.
Q：Who is the woman probably speaking to?
16. M：Kate, why does the downtown area look deserted now?
W：Well, there used to be some really good stores,
but lots of them moved out to the mall.
Q：What do we learn from the conversation?
17. W: I find the lounge such a cozy place to study in.
I really like the feeling in sitting on the sofa
and doing the reading.
M: Well, for me the hardest part
about studying here is staying awake.
Q：What does the man mean?
18. W: These mosquito bites are killing me.
I can't help scratching.
M: Next time you go camping,
take some precaution,
say wearing long sleeves.
Q: Why does the man suggest the woman wear long sleeves?
Now you'll hear the two long conversations.
Conversation One
M: Hello, and welcome to our program Working Abroad.
Our guest this evening is a Londoner,
who lives and works in Italy.
Her name's Susan Hill.
Susan, welcome to the program.
You live in Florence,
how long have you been living there?
W: Since 1982. But when I went there in 1982,
I planned to stay for only 6 months.
M: Why did you change your mind?
W: Well, I'm a designer.
I design leather goods,
mainly shoes and handbags.
Soon after I arrived in Florence,
I got a job with one of Italy's top fashion houses, Ferregamo.
So, I decided to stay.
M: How lucky!
Do you still work for Ferregamo?
W: No, I've been a freelance designer
for quite a long time now.
Since 1988, in fact.
M: So does that mean you design
for several different companies now?
W: Yes, that's right.
I've designed many fashion items
for a number of Italian companies,
and during the last four years,
I've also been designing
for the British company, Burberrys.
M: What have you been designing for them?
W: Mostly handbags, and small leather goods.
M: Has the fashion industry in Italy changed since 1982?
W: Oh, yes.
It's become a lot more competitive.
Because of quality of products
from other countries has improved a lot.
But the Italian quality and design
is still world-famous.
M: And do you ever think of returning
to live in England?
W: No, not really.
Working in Italy is more interesting.
I also love the Mediterranean sun
and the Italian life style.
M: Well, thank you for talking to us, Susan.
W: It was a pleasure.
Questions 19 to 22 are based on the conversation
you have just heard.
19. Where does this talk most probably take place?
20. What was the woman's original plan
when she went to Florence?
21. What has the woman been doing
for a living since 1988?
22. What do we learn about the change
in Italy's fashion industry?
Conversation Two
M: So, Claire, you're into drama!
W: Yes, I've a master's degree in drama and theatre.
At the moment, I'm hoping to get onto a PhD program.
M: What excites you about drama?
W: Well, I find it's a communicative way to study people
and you learn how to read people in drama.
So usually I can understand
what people are saying even though they might be lying.
M: That would be useful.
W: Yeah, it's very useful for me as well.
I'm an English lecturer,
so use a lot of drama in my classes such as role-plays.
And I ask my students to create mini-dramas.
They really respond well.
At the moment, I'm hoping to get onto a PhD course.
I would like to concentrate on Asian drama
and try to bring Asian theater to the world's attention.
I don't know how successful I will be, but, here's hoping.
M: Oh, I'm sure you'll be successful.
Now, Claire, what do you do for stage fright?
W: Ah, stage fright!
Well, many actors have that problem.
I get stage fright every time
I'm going to teach a new class.
The night before, I usually can't sleep.
M: What? For teaching?
W: Yes. I get really bad stage fright.
But the minute I step into the classroom
or get onto the stage,
it just all falls into place.
Then I just feel like:
Yeah, this is what I mean to do. And I'm fine.
M: Wow, that's cool!
Questions 23 to 25 are based on
the conversation you have just heard.
23. Why does the woman find study in drama and theatre useful?
24. How did the woman's students
respond to her way of teaching English?
25. What does the woman say about her stage fright?
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
In January 1989,
the Community of European Railways
presented their proposal
for a high speed pan-European train network
extending from Sweden to Sicily,
and from Portugal to Poland by the year 2020.
If their proposal becomes a reality,
it will revolutionize train travel in Europe.
Journeys between major cities
will take half the time they take today.
Brussels will be only one and a half hours from Paris.
The quickest way to get from Paris to Frankfurt,
from Barcelona to Madrid will be by train, not plane.
When the network is complete,
it will integrate three types of railway line:
totally new high speed lines with trains
operating at speeds of 300 kilometers per hour,
upgraded lines which allow for speeds up
to 200 to 225 kilometers per hour,
and existing lines for local connections
and distribution of freight.
If business people can choose
between a three-hour train journey
from city-center to city-center and a one-hour flight,
they'll choose the train,
says an executive travel consultant.
They won't go by plane any more.
If you calculate flight time,
check-in and travel to-and-from the airport,
you'll find almost no difference.
And if your plane arrives late due to bad weather
or air traffic jams or strikes,
then the train passengers will arrive at their destination first.
Since France introduced the first 260-kilometer-per-hour
high speed train service
between Paris and Lyons in 1981,
the trains have achieved higher and higher speeds.
On many routes,
airlines have lost up to
90% of their passengers to high speed trains.
If people accept the Community of European Railways' plan,
the 21st century will be the new age of the train.
Questions 26 to 29 are based on
the passage you have just heard.
26. What is the proposal presented
by the Community of European Railways?
27. What will happen when the proposal becomes a reality?
28. Why will business people prefer
a three-hour train journey to a one-hour flight?
29. When did France introduce
the first high speed train service?
Passage Two
Western doctors are beginning to understand
what traditional healers have always known
that the body and the mind are inseparable.
Until recently, modern urban physicians heal the body,
psychiatrists the mind, and priests the soul.
However, the medical world
is now paying more attention to holistic medicine
which is an approach based on the belief
that people state of mind can make them sick
or speed their recovery from sickness.
Several study show that
the effectiveness of a certain drug
often depends on the patient's expectations of it.
For example, in one recent study,
psychiatrists at a major hospital tried to see
how patients could be made calm.
They divided them into two groups.
One group was given a drug
while the other group received a harmless substance
instead of medicine without their knowledge.
Surprisingly, more patients in the second group
showed the desired effect than those in the first group.
In study after study, there's a positive reaction
in almost one-third of the patients taking harmless substances.
How was this possible? How can such a substance
have an effect on the body?
Evidence from a 1997 study at the University of California
shows that several patients who received such substances
were able to produce their own natural drug, that is,
as they took the substance their brains released natural chemicals
that act like a drug.
Scientists theorized that
the amount of these chemicals released by a person's brain
quite possibly indicates
how much faith the person has in his or her doctor.
Questions 30 to 32 are based on
the passage you've just heard:
30. According to the speaker,
what are western doctors beginning to understand?
31. What does the recent study
at a major hospital seem to prove?
32. What evidence does the 1997 study
at the University of California produce?
Passage Three
So we've already talked a bit
about the growth of extreme sports like rock-climbing.
As psychologists, we need to ask ourselves:
Why is this person doing this?
Why do people take these risks
and put themselves in danger when they don't have to?
One common trait among risk-takers is that
they enjoy strong feelings or sensations.
We call this trait sensation-seeking.
A sensation-seeker is someone
who's always looking for new sensations.
What else do we know about sensation-seekers?
Well, as I said, sensation-seekers like strong emotions.
You can see this trait in many parts of a person's life,
not just in extreme sports.
For example,
many sensation-seekers enjoy hard rock music.
They like the loud sound
and strong emotion of the songs.
Similarly, sensation-seekers
enjoy frightening horror movies.
They like the feeling of being scared
and horrified while watching the movie.
This feeling is even stronger for extreme sports
where the person faces real danger.
Sensation-seekers feel the danger is very exciting.
In addition,
sensation-seekers like new experiences that
force them to push their personal limits.
For them, repeating the same things everyday is boring.
Many sensation-seekers choose jobs that involve risk,
such as starting a new business
or being an emergency room doctor.
These jobs are different every day,
so they never know what will happen.
That's why many sensation-seekers
also like extreme sports.
When you do rock-climbing,
you never know what will happen.
The activity is always new and different.
Questions 33 to 35 are based on
the passage you've just heard:
33. According to the speaker,
what is a common trait among risk-takers?
34. What do sensation-seekers find boring?
35. What is the speaker's profession?
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:
If you are like most people,
you've indulged in fake listening many times.
You go to history class,
sit in the third row,
and look squarely at the instructor as she speaks.
But your mind is far away,
floating in the clouds of pleasant daydreams.
Occasionally you come back to earth.
The instructor writes an important term
on the chalkboard,
and you dutifully copy it in your notebook.
Every once in a while the instructor makes a witty remark,
causing others in the class to laugh.
You smile politely,
pretending that you've heard the remark
and found it mildly humorous.
You have a vague sense of guilt that
you aren't paying close attention.
But you tell yourself that any material you miss
can be picked up from a friend's notes.
Besides,
the instructor's talking about road construction in ancient Rome,
and nothing could be more boring.
So back you go into your private little world,
only later do you realize
you've missed important information for a test.
Fake listening may be easily exposed,
since many speakers are sensitive to facial cues
and can tell if you're merely pretending to listen.
Your blank expression
and the faraway look in your eyes
are the cues that betray you inattentiveness.
Even if you are not exposed
there's another reason to avoid fakery.
It's easy for this behavior to become a habit.
For some people,
the habit is so deeply rooted that
they automatically start daydreaming
when a speaker begins talking on
something complex or uninteresting.
As a result,
they miss lots of valuable information.
Now the passage will be read again.
If you are like most people,
you've indulged in fake listening many times.
You go to history class,
sit in the third row,
and look squarely at the instructor as she speaks.
But your mind is far away,
floating in the clouds of pleasant daydreams.
Occasionally you come back to earth.
The instructor writes an important term
on the chalkboard,
and you dutifully copy it in your notebook.
Every once in a while the instructor
makes a witty remark,
causing others in the class to laugh.
You smile politely,
pretending that you've heard the remark
and found it mildly humorous.
You have a vague sense of guilt that
you aren't paying close attention.
But you tell yourself that any material you miss
can be picked up from a friend's notes.
Besides,
the instructor's talking
about road construction in ancient Rome,
and nothing could be more boring.
So back you go into your private little world,
only later do you realize
you've missed important information for a test.
Fake listening may be easily exposed,
since many speakers are sensitive to facial cues
and can tell if you're merely pretending to listen.
Your blank expression
and the faraway look in your eyes
are the cues that betray you inattentiveness.
Even if you are not exposed
there's another reason to avoid fakery.
It's easy for this behavior to become a habit.
For some people,
the habit is so deeply rooted that
they automatically start daydreaming
when a speaker begins talking on
something complex or uninteresting.
As a result,
they miss lots of valuable information.
Now the passage will be read for the third time.
If you are like most people,
you've indulged in fake listening many times.
You go to history class,
sit in the third row, and look squarely
at the instructor as she speaks.
But your mind is far away,
floating in the clouds of pleasant daydreams.
Occasionally you come back to earth.
The instructor writes an important term
on the chalkboard,
and you dutifully copy it in your notebook.
Every once in a while the instructor
makes a witty remark,
causing others in the class to laugh.
You smile politely,
pretending that you've heard the remark
and found it mildly humorous.
You have a vague sense of guilt that
you aren't paying close attention.
But you tell yourself that any material you miss
can be picked up from a friend's notes.
Besides,
the instructor's talking
about road construction in ancient Rome,
and nothing could be more boring.
So back you go into your private little world,
only later do you realize
you've missed important information for a test.
Fake listening may be easily exposed,
since many speakers are sensitive to facial cues
and can tell if you're merely pretending to listen.
Your blank expression
and the faraway look in your eyes
are the cues that betray you inattentiveness.
Even if you are not exposed
there's another reason to avoid fakery.
It's easy for this behavior to become a habit.
For some people,
the habit is so deeply rooted that
they automatically start daydreaming
when a speaker begins talking on
something complex or uninteresting.
As a result,
they miss lots of valuable information.
This is the end of listening comprehension.