Model Test 3

[00:12.92]Model Test Three
[00:15.71]Part Ⅲ Listening Comprehension
[00:19.27]Section A
[00:21.27]Directions: In this section, you will hear 8 short conversations
[00:27.62]and 2 long conversations. At the end of each conversation,
[00:31.99]one or more questions will be asked about what was said. Both
[00:36.92]the conversation and the questions will be spoken only once.
[00:41.23]After each question there will be a pause. During the pause,
[00:45.58]you must read the four choices marked A), B), C) and D), and
[00:51.55]decide which is the best answer. Then mark the corresponding
[00:56.39]letter on Answer Sheet 2 with a single line through the centre.
[01:01.39]Now, let’s begin with the eight short conversations.
[01:05.96]11. M: Hello, Admissions Office, this is John.
[01:11.05]W: Hi, this is Amy Zhao. I applied for your graduate school for
[01:15.44]this fall. Just want to make sure you have everything you need.
[01:19.10]Q: What do we learn about the woman?
[01:35.32]12. W: Brian, tomorrow is your first day at work. Excited?
[01:42.01]M: Yes. I just drove by the company to see how long it takes
[01:46.73]to get to work. I don’t want to be late the first day.
[01:50.20]Q: What do we learn about Brian?
[02:06.22]13. W: Peter, do you think people get their personalities
[02:12.57]from their parents?
[02:14.04]M: No, but parents control a lot of the environment that kids
[02:19.20]grow up in, so they certainly influence their kid’s personalities a lot.
[02:24.19]Q: What does the man mean?
[02:39.72]14. M: I read the newspaper for news.
[02:45.37]That’s much better than cable TV.
[02:47.84]W: Yes, I think it's better in some ways,and CNN is also great.
[02:53.87]With CNN, you have fast news coverage, and images too.
[02:58.28]And you can watch it while you’re eating breakfast.
[03:01.54]Q: What does the woman think of the newspaper from the conversation?
[03:19.09]15. M: Do you do a lot of your shopping online?
[03:25.53]W: Not really. I like looking on the Internet at what’s available,
[03:29.52]but I usually prefer to actually see and touch
[03:32.90]what I’m buying before I pay for it.
[03:36.25]Q: What did the woman say about the shopping online?
[03:54.82]16. W: Sir, how do you think the transport system in our city could be improved?
[04:01.02]M: In my opinion, I think the public transport system could be made simpler.
[04:07.21]I never know where the bus routes actually go.
[04:10.82]The routes seem to twist and turn rather than going roughly in a straight line.
[04:16.20]Q: What do we learn from the conversation?
[04:34.03]17. M: I really cannot imagine that you have any interest in TV show report.
[04:40.35]W: Oh, yes, I do.
[04:42.22]And maybe there are a lot of other things about me you don’t know.
[04:46.32]Oh I am just kidding.
[04:48.31]But now you just remind me of the attendance to the report.
[04:52.41]Q: What can we learn about the woman from the conversation?
[05:11.95]18. M: You know I have just bought a new fully-automatic washing machine.
[05:17.98]When I bought it the salesgirl only showed me how to operate it.
[05:22.33]Now I cannot remember.
[05:24.20]W: You’d better read the instructions first.
[05:26.55]Pressing the buttons randomly may cause the machine to break down.
[05:30.20]Q: What does the woman suggest the man do?
[05:50.49]Now you’ll hear two long conversations.
[05:53.66]Conversation One
[05:56.84]M: Hi, I heard you’re looking for a different apartment.
[06:00.52]W: Yeah, the place I’m in now is a real down.
[06:03.68]M: It was OK when I was there.
[06:06.80]W: Oh, the boiler keeps breaking and when it does,
[06:10.09]we loose the heat for several days at a time.
[06:12.22]M: Why doesn’t the owner replace it?
[06:15.27]W: Well, she said it was cheaper to keep fixing it.
[06:18.34]She’s a nice enough person, just sort of mean.
[06:21.68]In any case, I’ m sick of being cold.
[06:24.74]M: Can you get your deposit back if you move?
[06:28.62]W: If I give two-month notice, I can get the whole thing back.
[06:32.62]M: So what kind of place are you looking for?
[06:35.37]W: I think I'll try to get into one of those high-rises near the university.
[06:40.43]There’s nothing really special but at least they are new and functional.
[06:44.99]M: I heard those buildings are pretty noisy.
[06:47.87]The walls are thin and you can hear everything
[06:50.87]that's going on in the other apartment.
[06:52.81]W: Oh, that will never do. I need some place quiet to finish my thesis.
[06:57.68]I guess I’ll have to look of some more ads.
[07:00.81]But I still have some worries.
[07:02.91]You know, maybe new isn't necessarily better.
[07:05.97]M: Why don’t you try some of those apartments in Winsor?
[07:09.46]They’re supposed to be nice.
[07:11.24]W: Oh, aren’t they awfully expensive?
[07:13.99]M: Not really, you’ll be surprised at how reasonable some of them are.
[07:18.18]The problem would be that the bus doesn’t run that way.
[07:21.74]W: That’ll definitely be a problem. I can’t afford a car right now.
[07:26.15]I guess I’d better check a few of the places here in the city
[07:30.06]before I make a decision.
[07:31.74]Questions 19 to 21 are based on the conversation you have just heard.
[07:37.06]19. What is the woman’s landlord like?
[07:56.09]20. Why isn’t the woman satisfied with those high-rises near the university?
[08:20.51]21. What is the disadvantage of those apartments in Winsor?
[08:41.41]Conversation Two
[08:43.19]M: Julie, I’ve heard you’ve got an online degree through distance learning.
[08:47.44]Congratulations!
[08:48.95]W: Thank you, Richard.
[08:50.19]That is attributed to the increased availability of the Internet throughout the world.
[08:54.69]M: You know, I’m quite interested in online learning.
[08:58.35]Can you tell me why you chose this way of studying?
[09:01.50]W: Well, for me, the most compelling reasons for trying
[09:04.69]to get an online degree are time and money.
[09:07.66]M: What does that mean?
[09:09.31]W: With an online course, you can enroll in a class,
[09:12.31]do assignments on the Internet,
[09:14.22]and even communicate with classmates in chatrooms or on bulletin boards.
[09:18.70]All of these activities can be done from the comfort of your home
[09:22.51]or laptop: any time, any place.
[09:26.17]M: That seems very nice.
[09:27.82]W: Yes. Besides, getting such a degree can be cheaper
[09:32.07]because you don’t have to pay associated costs related to
[09:35.72]an overseas adventure: airfare, housing, local transportation, etc.
[09:41.04]M: Oh, that sounds quite attractive.
[09:43.63]W: But remember: for all these benefits,
[09:45.72]there are a number of obstacles to this kind of learning.
[09:48.69]M: Really? What are they?
[09:50.41]W: Above all else, you have to consider how a degree from an online school
[09:54.47]will be received by future employers.
[09:57.16]In some countries, companies might feel that the academic standards of
[10:01.69]such an online institution are not as challenging
[10:04.97]or rigorous as a regular residency program.
[10:08.07]M: Oh, I see. Does it have any other disadvantages?
[10:12.13]W: Sure. You probably won’t have face-to-face contact with other students
[10:17.01]since everything is online.
[10:18.85]Such contact is very important in learning how to deal with many aspects
[10:23.22]of non-verbal communication that aren’t obvious in an online chatroom.
[10:27.32]M: That makes sense.
[10:29.19]Thank you for your information about getting online degrees.
[10:32.82]W: You’re welcome.
[10:34.53]Questions 22 to 25 are based on the conversation you have just heard.
[10:40.69]22. What are the two speakers mainly talking about?
[11:00.27]23. What makes online education possible according to the conversation?
[11:22.92]24. What is the reason why the woman chose online learning?
[11:43.07]25. Which is true about online learning according to the conversation?
[12:05.21]Section B
[12:07.30]Directions: In this section, you will hear 3 short passages.
[12:13.67]At the end of each passage, you will hear some questions.
[12:18.45]Both the passage and the questions will be spoken only once.
[12:23.39]After you hear a question, you must choose the best answer
[12:28.64]from the four choices marked A), B), C) and D).
[12:33.14]Then mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 2
[12:37.36]with a single line through the centre.
[12:39.86]Passage One
[12:41.23]A new plan for getting children to and from school is being started
[12:46.61]by a local government in Eastern England.
[12:49.45]This could end the worries of many parents fearful
[12:52.86]for their children’s safety on the roads.
[12:55.39]Until now the local government has only been prepared to provide bus services
[13:01.18]for children living more than three miles from their school,
[13:04.67]or sometimes less if special reasons existed.
[13:08.04]Now it has been decided that if a group of parents ask for help
[13:12.76]in organizing transport they will be prepared to go ahead,
[13:16.67]as long as the arrangement will not lose money and children taking part
[13:21.30]will be attending their nearest school.
[13:23.61]The new plan is to be tried out this term for children living at Milton
[13:29.17]who attend Impington School.
[13:31.18]Now the government has agreed to offer a sum of money
[13:35.74]for a bus service from Milton to Impington and back, a plan
[13:40.61]which has the support of the school’s headmaster.
[13:43.77]Between 50 and 60 parents have said they would like their children to take part.
[13:50.42]Final calculations have still to be carried out,
[13:53.49]but a government official has said the cost to parents
[13:57.21]should be less than ￡20 a term.
[13:59.77]They have been able to arrange the service at a low cost,
[14:03.59]because there is already an agreement
[14:05.87]with the bus company to take children
[14:08.05]who live further away to Impington.
[14:10.37]The same bus would now just make one more journey
[14:13.64]to pick up the Milton children.
[14:15.99]The official said they would get in touch with other groups of parents
[14:19.89]who in the past had asked if transport could be provided for their children,
[14:24.74]to see if they would like to take part in the new plan.
[14:28.20]Questions 26 to 28 are based on the passage you have just heard.
[14:33.10]26. What is the aim of the plan?
[14:53.12]27. Who will pay for the new bus service?
[15:11.85]28. How can the local government arrange the new bus service at a low cost?
[15:33.64]Passage Two
[15:35.19]Ice dancing developed from ballroom dancing, particularly the waltz,
[15:40.51]and was very popular in the early 1900s.
[15:44.07]It requires well-trained, exact footwork; conformity with one another’s steps;
[15:50.48]and a keen sense of timing and rhythm.
[15:52.98]Ice dancing differs from pairs skating
[15:55.60]in that ice dancers are restricted to lifts
[15:58.66]no higher than the man’s shoulders and there are no jumps.
[16:02.13]One skate must be on the ice at all times.
[16:05.63]Ice dancing competitions are made up of three principal parts as following.
[16:12.44]The first part to perform is compulsories.
[16:15.63]Partners must perform two dances selected by the ISU,
[16:19.34]for example, waltz, tango, or polka.
[16:22.97]It involves set patterns in which dancers perform and repeat steps
[16:27.47]at certain points around the arena.
[16:29.72]Although the steps are predetermined, dancers are encouraged to interpret them
[16:35.01]for artistic charming. Each dance counts for 15 percent of a pair’s final score.
[16:40.36]The original dance, formerly known as the original set pattern dance,
[16:45.33]requires skaters to design their own performance to their choice of music,
[16:49.86]set to a speed and rhythm previously announced by the ISU.
[16:54.01]It counts for 35 percent of the final score,
[16:57.42]and skaters receive marks for composition and presentation.
[17:01.14]In the free dance, the partners perform a dance to music of their choice.
[17:06.36]They are given marks for presentation and style as well as for technical value.
[17:11.93]This dance counts for 50 percent of the final score.
[17:16.43]Questions 29 to 31 are based on the passage you have just heard.
[17:21.70]29. What are the differences between ice dancing and pairs skating?
[17:44.06]30. Which is allowed for the partners during the first part of the ice dancing?
[18:05.51]31. What does the ice dancing contain?
[18:24.82]Passage Three
[18:26.57]Throughout history, sports have played an important role in society.
[18:31.26]Not only have they been a source of entertainment for both the player
[18:36.07]and the spectator, but they have served as a pleasurable way of
[18:39.73]ensuring the physical fitness
[18:41.57]of citizens of all ages.
[18:43.82]The popularity of different sports varies from one country to another.
[18:49.44]Factors such as tradition, climate and cost obviously influence the types of sports
[18:56.66]that are played by both amateur and professional athletes in various countries.
[19:01.38]Contrary to winter sports like ice hockey and downhill skiing, table tennis,
[19:08.57]badminton and fishing, for example, do not require expensive equipment
[19:13.29]or expensive sports facilities.
[19:16.67]Television has increased the popularity of sports
[19:20.35]like football, basketball, tennis and golf.
[19:23.97]Millions of men and women all over the world
[19:27.38]watch live broadcasts of the Olympic Games
[19:30.72]and the World Cup, for example.
[19:33.32] Star athletes become the topic of conversation,
[19:36.79]and often serve as models of courage and determination.
[19:41.32]The record-breaking accomplishments of many athletes are
[19:45.54]inspirational examples of men and women approaching the limits of human endeavor.
[19:50.94]Although their performances have been enhanced by major improvements
[19:55.39]in equipment and training,
[19:57.54]these sports stars usually deserve the glory and celebrity status they receive.
[20:02.89]However, many educators feel that too much emphasis has been placed on
[20:09.73]the development of professional athletes.
[20:13.22]Physical education teachers often stress the importance of competitive sports
[20:18.23]for all young people, not just a select few of the excellent ones.
[20:22.48]They point out that sports help channel energy in a positive way and contribute to
[20:28.84]the development of determination and self-discipline.
[20:32.07]All boys and girls, irrespective of their athletic abilities,
[20:36.61]should be able to benefit from the joys and disappointments of competitive sports.
[20:41.73]Questions 32 to 35 are based on the passage you have just heard.
[20:47.57]32. According to the passage, which sport requires more money?
[21:10.09]33.How has the popularity of football increased?
[21:31.10]34. What do the star athletes serve as for common people?
[21:52.52]35. What do physical teachers emphasize according to the passage?
[22:14.97]Section C
[22:16.35]Directions: In this section, you will hear a passage three times.
[22:22.10]When the passage is read for the first time,
[22:25.04]you should listen carefully for its general idea.
[22:28.38]When the passage is read for the second time,
[22:31.88]you are required to fill in the blanks numbered
[22:34.91]from 36 to 43 with the exact words
[22:38.69]you have just heard. For blanks numbered from 44 to 46
[22:44.44]you are required to fill in the missing information.
[22:48.13]For these blanks, you can either use the exact words
[22:52.91]you have just heard or write down the main points in your own words.
[22:57.53]Finally, when the passage is read for the third time,
[23:02.25]you should check what you have written.
[23:04.98]Now listen to the passage.
[23:07.32]To be really happy and real safe,
[23:11.27]one ought to have at least two or three hobbies,
[23:14.55]and they must all be real.
[23:17.00]It is no use starting late in life to say:
[23:20.37]“I will take an interest in this or that .”
[23:23.28]A man may acquire great knowledge of topics unconnected with his daily work,
[23:28.84]and yet get hardly any benefit or relief.
[23:32.84]It is no use what you like;
[23:35.28]you have got to like what you do. Broadly speaking,
[23:39.31]human beings may be divided into three classes:
[23:42.31]those who toiled to death, those who are worried to death,
[23:45.75]and those who are bored to death.
[23:47.60] It is no use inviting the politician
[23:50.42]or the professional or business man,
[23:52.73]who has been working or worrying about serious things for five days,
[23:56.95]to work or worry about trifling things at the weekend.
[24:00.57]It may also be said that rational, industrious,
[24:04.61]useful human beings are divided into two classes:
[24:07.95]first, those whose work is work and whose pleasure is pleasure;
[24:12.79]and secondly, those whose work and pleasure are one.
[24:16.89]Of these the former are the majority.
[24:19.39]The long hours in the office or the factory bring with them as their reward,
[24:24.32]not only the means of sustenance,
[24:26.54]but a keen appetite for pleasure even in its simplest and most modest form.
[24:31.70]But to the second class, their life is a natural harmony.
[24:36.04]For them the working hours are never enough. Each day is a holiday,
[24:41.14]and ordinary holidays, when they come,
[24:44.51]are just like enforced interruptions in an absorbing vacation.
[24:48.89]Yet to both classes, the need of an alternative outlook,
[24:52.42]of a change of atmosphere,
[24:54.38]of a diversion of effort, is essential.
[24:58.91]Now the passage will be read again.
[25:04.44]To be really happy and real safe,
[25:07.01]one ought to have at least two or three hobbies,
[25:10.32]and they must all be real.
[25:13.60]It is no use starting late in life to say:
[25:16.07]“I will take an interest in this or that .”
[25:18.88]A man may acquire great knowledge of topics unconnected with his daily work,
[25:24.50]and yet get hardly any benefit or relief.
[25:28.48]It is no use what you like;
[25:30.72]you have got to like what you do. Broadly speaking,
[25:34.88]human beings may be divided into three classes:
[25:38.13]those who toiled to death, those who are worried to death,
[25:41.47]and those who are bored to death.
[25:43.60]It is no use inviting the politician
[25:46.22]or the professional or business man,
[25:48.42]who has been working or worrying about serious things for five days,
[25:52.41]to work or worry about trifling things at the weekend.
[25:56.20]It may also be said that rational, industrious,
[26:00.38]useful human beings are divided into two classes:
[26:03.88]first, those whose work is work and whose pleasure is pleasure;
[26:08.44]and secondly, those whose work and pleasure are one.
[27:02.84]Of these the former are the majority.
[27:04.74]The long hours in the office or the factory bring with them as their reward,
[27:09.99]not only the means of sustenance,
[27:12.09]but a keen appetite for pleasure even in its simplest and most modest form.
[27:17.52]But to the second class, their life is a natural harmony.
[28:12.84]For them the working hours are never enough.
[28:15.14]Each day is a holiday,
[28:17.05]and ordinary holidays, when they come,
[28:20.30]are just like enforced interruptions in an absorbing vacation.
[28:25.17]Yet to both classes, the need of an alternative outlook,
[28:28.33]of a change of atmosphere,
[28:30.27]of a diversion of effort, is essential.
[29:04.85]Now the passage will be read for the third time.
[29:07.38]To be really happy and real safe,
[29:11.80]one ought to have at least two or three hobbies,
[29:14.98]and they must all be real.
[29:17.33]It is no use starting late in life to say:
[29:21.74]“I will take an interest in this or that .”
[29:23.99]A man may acquire great knowledge of topics unconnected with his daily work,
[29:29.74]and yet get hardly any benefit or relief.
[29:33.28]It is no use what you like;
[29:36.02]you have got to like what you do. Broadly speaking,
[29:39.43]human beings may be divided into three classes:
[29:42.80]those who toiled to death, those who are worried to death,
[29:46.27]and those who are bored to death.
[29:48.42]It is no use inviting the politician
[29:50.86]or the professional or business man,
[29:53.14]who has been working or worrying about serious things for five days,
[29:57.27]to work or worry about trifling things at the weekend.
[30:01.02]It may also be said that rational, industrious,
[30:04.96]useful human beings are divided into two classes:
[30:08.73]first, those whose work is work and whose pleasure is pleasure;
[30:13.42]and secondly, those whose work and pleasure are one.
[30:17.08]Of these the former are the majority.
[30:19.71]The long hours in the office or the factory bring with them as their reward,
[30:24.98]not only the means of sustenance,
[30:27.30]but a keen appetite for pleasure even in its simplest and most modest form.
[30:32.64]But to the second class, their life is a natural harmony.
[30:37.08]For them the working hours are never enough. Each day is a holiday,
[30:41.83]and ordinary holidays, when they come,
[30:45.33]are just like enforced interruptions in an absorbing vacation.
[30:49.01]Yet to both classes, the need of an alternative outlook,
[30:53.05]of a change of atmosphere,
[30:55.14]of a diversion of effort, is essential.
This is the end of listening comprehension