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 eight short conversations.
11. M: Mary, could you please tell Thomas to contact me?
I was hoping he be able to help out
with the freshman orientation program next week.
W: I would certainly tell him if I saw him,
but I haven't seen him around for quite a few days.
Q: What does the woman mean?
12. M: Susan, I am going to change the light bulb
above the dining room table.
Will you hold the ladder for me?
W: No problem. But be careful while you're up there.
Q: What does the man want the woman to do?
13. W: It's freezing cold. Let me make some coffee
to warm us up. Do you want a piece of pie as well?
M: Coffee sounds great! But I am going to have dinner
with some friends in a while, so I'd better skip the pie.
Q: What does the man mean?
14. M: Hello, Mary. This is Paul at the bank. Is Tony home?
W: Not yet, Paul. I don't think you can reach him
at the office now, either. He phoned me five minutes ago
to say he was stopping for a haircut on his way home.
Q: Who do you think the woman probably is?
15. W: Oh! Boy! I don't understand
how you got a ticket today. I always thought you were slow
even driving on the less crowded fast lane.
M: I am usually careful, but this time I thought
I could get through the intersection before the light turned.
Q: What do we learn about the man?
16. M: I'm afraid there won't be time
to do another tooth today. Make sure you don't eat
anything like steaks for the next few hours
and we will fill the other cavity tomorrow.
W: All right. Actually I must hurry to
the library to return some books.
Q: Where does the conversation most probably take place?
17. W: I am worried about Jenny going to college.
College students are so wild nowadays.
M: Actually only a few are like that.
Most students are too busy studying
to have time to cause trouble.
Q: What does the man imply?
18. W: You didn't seem terribly enthusiastic
about the performance.
M: You must be kidding. I couldn't have clapped any harder.
My hands are still hurting.
Q: What does the man think of the performance?
Now you'll hear the two long conversations.
Conversation One
M: Excuse me, Prof.Thomson.
I know your office hours are tomorrow,
but I was wondering if you have a few minutes free
now to discuss something.
W: Sure, John. What do you want to talk about?
M: Well, I have some quick problems about
how to write the research project that
I do this semester about Climate Changes.
W: Oh, yes. You were looking for changes in climate
in the G city area, right? How far have you gotten?
M: I've gotten my data,
so I'm starting to summarize it now,
preparing graph and stuff. But I'm just… I'm looking at it
and I'm afraid that is not enough,
but I'm not sure what else to put into the report.
W: I hear the same thing from every student.
You know, you have to remember now that
you are the expert on what you have done.
So think about what you need to include
if you're going to explain your research project to someone
with general or casual knowledge about
the subject like your parents. That's usually my rule…
Would my parents understand this?
M: Uh, I get it. I was wondering
if I should also include the notes from
the research journals you suggest.
W: Yes, definitely. Be sure you include good reference section
where all your published and unpublished data came from.
M: Yes. I have data more than just in the G city area,
so I also include regional data in the report.
With everything else, it should be a pretty good indication
of climate of this part of the state.
W: Sounds good. I'll be happy to look over
a draft before you hand the final copy if you wish.
M: Great. I plan to get you the draft of the paper
by next Friday. Thanks very much. See you.
W: OK.
Questions 19 to 21 are based on the conversation you have just heard.
19. What did the student want to talk with the professor?
20. What is the professor's suggestion to the student?
21. What will probably happen next?
Conversation Two
M: I'd like to share with you today my experience
with a new approach to building a house.
It's called Envelop Building.
W: Hmm, it sounds interesting.
Please share with us. What does it mean?
M: Essentially, what it means is that as you are building a house,
you try to leave the landscape feature on the land,
especially the vegetation in the original condition.
So what you are not doing is the usual practice of land-scraping.
By which I mean literally scraping or cleaning the land of any
and all the original plants.
W: Why is the approach called Envelop Building?
M: Good question! Because instead of clearing everything away,
you let your original landscape elements envelop
or surround your house. Let the vegetation physical features
such as hills and slopes or interesting rock formations,
constitute a significant part of
the character of the building site.
The design of the house should take these features of
the land into account.
W: Any more information about Envelop Building?
It is a recent technology?
M: Actually, integrating your original wild landscape
with a house is not that new.
The famous American architect Wright was doing it
about 65 years ago. Envelop Building is not as easy as
it sounds though. It's not just that you build your house
and leave the land alone. By building,
you are already damaging the original landscape.
But as architects, we should try to work with environment,
not against it. A creative architect can find ways
to incorporate natural landscape into the overall design.
W: I guess this technology will be acknowledged by more architects.
Questions22 to 25 are based on the conversation you have just heard.
22. According to the professor,
what does the term “land scaping” refer to?
23. In Envelop Building,
what is done with the landscape features of a building site?
24. Why does the professor mention the architect Wright?
25. What suggestion did the professor give to architects?
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
Born and raised in central Ohio,
I am a country girl through and through.
I am currently studying to become a physical therapist,
a career path that marks a greater achievement for me.
At the Ohio State University,
admission into the physical therapy program is
intensively competitive. I made it pass the first
course the first year I applied, but was turned down for admission.
I was crushed because for years I have been determined to
become a physical therapist. I received the advice from friends
and relatives about changing my major
and finding another course for my life.
I just couldn't do it. I knew I could not be
as happy in another profession. So I stilled myself,
began to work seriously for another year and reapplied.
Happily I received notice of my admission.
Later I found out that less than 15% of the applicants
had been offered positions that year.
Now, in the first two years' professional training,
I couldn't be happier with my decision not to
give up all my dream. My father told me that
if I wanted it badly enough, I would get in.
Well, daddy, I wanted it, so there.
After graduation, I would like to travel to another country,
possibly a Latin-American country
and work in a children's hospital for a year or two.
So many of children there are physically handicapped,
but most hospitals don't have the funding to
hire a trained staff to care for them properly.
I would like to change that somehow.
Questions 26 to 28 are based on the passage you have just heard.
26. What is the speaker's field of study?
27. According to the speaker, what contributed to
her admission to Ohio State University?
28. Why does the speaker want to go to a Latin-American country?
Passage Two
Gabriela Mistral was once an ordinary teacher
in a small village school in Northern Chile.
Towering mountains separated her village
from the world outside. Gabriela Mistral was
only fifteen when she began teaching,
but she was a good teacher. She helped the minds of
her students scale the mountain walls
and reached out to the world beyond.
For eighteen years, Gabriela devoted her life
to the poor farm children of Chile's northern valleys.
During part of this time,
she was director of schools in all of the Chile.
Before long, many countries recognized her
as a great friend of children and a leader in education.
In 1922, she was invited to Mexico to
help organize the Rural School System.
Two years later, Gabriela Mistral came to the United States
where she served as a visiting professor in several colleges.
In New York City, a group of teachers helped to
finance the publication of her first book of poetry.
Some of her books have been translated into
six different languages. She gave the income from
some of her books to help poor and neglected children.
Beginning in the 1920s, her interests reached out
to broader fields. Statesmen asked her advice on
international problems. She tried to break through
the national barriers that hindered the exchange of ideas
among the Spanish-speaking people of South America.
She tried to develop a better understanding
between the United States and countries of Latin America.
In 1945, she gained worldwide recognition
by winning the Nobel Prize in literature,
the first South American to win the prize.
Questions 29 to 32 are based on the passage you have just heard.
29. Where did Gabriela Mistral start her teaching career?
30. How did Gabriela Mistral help
the poor children of her hometown?
31. Why did many countries think highly of Gabriela Mistral?
32. How did Gabriela Mistral become famous all over the world?
Passage Three
Over time animals have developed many ways to
stay away from predators.
A predator is an animal that hunts and eats other animals.
Hiding is one of the best ways to stay alive.
Some animals hide by looking like the places
where they live. To see how this works,
let's look at the sea dragon. It is a master of disguise.
The sea dragon is covered with skin that looks like leaves.
The skin helps the dragon look like a piece of seaweed.
A hungry meat-eater would stay away from anything
that looks like seaweed. Other animals stay safe
by showing their colors. They want other animals to see them.
Scientists call these bright colors warning colors.
You have probably seen animals that have warning colors.
Some grasshoppers show off their own bright colors.
Those colors don't just look attractive.
They tell the enemies to stay away.
Of course, hungry predators sometimes ignore the warning.
They still go after the grasshopper.
If that happens, the grasshopper has a backup of defense.
It makes lots of foam. The foam tastes so bad that
the predator won't do it again.
Color doesn't offer enough protection for some other animals.
They have different defenses that help them survive in the wild.
Many fish live in groups or schools.
That's because there is safety in numbers.
At the first sign of trouble, schooling fish swim
as close together as they can get.
Then the school of fish makes lots of twists and turns.
All that movement makes it hard for predators to see individuals
in a large group.
Questions 33 to 35 are based on the passage you have just heard.
33. What is the speaker mainly talking about?
34. What protects the sea dragon from a meat-eater's attack?
35. According to the passage, why do many fish stay in groups?
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.
For some educators, there is nothing wrong
with fun and games. A group called the Education Arcade
recently held a conference in Los Angeles to
discuss the future of educational games,
and it brings together international game designers,
publishers, teachers and policymakers.
The Education Arcade commenced at
the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, near Boston.
Professors cooperated with the Microsoft Company
to create what they called the Games-to-Teach Project.
The group began to explore techniques to
use technology in teaching and learning.
They worked with game designers to develop ideas about
how mathematics and science could associate with game playing.
The group recently announced that
a “Games for Learning” statement will be placed
on some products. The goal is to help people find games that
are recreational but will also teach.
The Entertainment Software Association says
approximately fifty percent of all Americans at age six and
older play computer and video games. Sales of such games
in the United States grew eight percent last year,
to seven-thousand-million dollars.
Experts say developing a successful computer game
can take millions of dollars and years of work.
They say many companies are not willing to invest that
much money and time in educational games
when other kinds sell better.
Still, companies have been creating systems
like hand-held educational devices made by LeapFrog.
And new educational role-playing games
are being developed on the basis of the results from
recent surveys and related research. For example,
M.I.T. is developing a game so that players will
get to experience the American Revolution online.
Now the passage will be read again.
For some educators, there is nothing wrong with fun and games.
A group called the Education Arcade recently
held a conference in Los Angeles to
discuss the future of educational games,
and it brings together international game designers,
publishers, teachers and policymakers.
The Education Arcade commenced at
the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, near Boston.
Professors cooperated with the Microsoft Company to create
what they called the Games-to-Teach Project.
The group began to explore techniques to use technology
in teaching and learning. They worked with game designers
to develop ideas about how mathematics and science
could associate with game playing.
The group recently announced that
a “Games for Learning” statement will be placed
on some products. The goal is to help people find games that
are recreational but will also teach.
The Entertainment Software Association
says approximately fifty percent of all Americans
at age six and older play computer and video games.
Sales of such games in the United States
grew eight percent last year, to seven-thousand-million dollars.
Experts say developing a successful computer game
can take millions of dollars and years of work.
They say many companies are not willing to invest that
much money and time in educational games
when other kinds sell better.
Still, companies have been creating systems
like hand-held educational devices made by LeapFrog.
And new educational role-playing games
are being developed on the basis of the results from
recent surveys and related research.
For example,M.I.T. is developing a game so that players will
get to experience the American Revolution online.
Now the passage will be read for the third time.
For some educators, there is nothing wrong with fun and games.
A group called the Education Arcade recently
held a conference in Los Angeles to
discuss the future of educational games,
and it brings together international game designers,
publishers, teachers and policymakers.
The Education Arcade commenced at
the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, near Boston.
Professors cooperated with the Microsoft Company to create
what they called the Games-to-Teach Project.
The group began to explore techniques to use technology
in teaching and learning. They worked with game designers
to develop ideas about how mathematics and science
could associate with game playing.
The group recently announced that
a “Games for Learning” statement will be placed
on some products. The goal is to help people find games that
are recreational but will also teach.
The Entertainment Software Association says
approximately fifty percent of all Americans at age six and
older play computer and video games.
Sales of such games in the United States
grew eight percent last year,
to seven-thousand-million dollars.
Experts say developing a successful computer game
can take millions of dollars and years of work.
They say many companies are not willing to invest that
much money and time in educational games
when other kinds sell better.
Still, companies have been creating systems
like hand-held educational devices made by LeapFrog.
And new educational role-playing games
are being developed on the basis of the results from
recent surveys and related research. For example,
M.I.T. is developing a game so that players will
get to experience the American Revolution online.
This is the end of listening comprehension.