Model Test 6

[00:12.67]Model Test Six
[00:14.38]Part Ⅲ Listening Comprehension
[00:18.00]Section A
[00:19.44]Directions: In this section, you will hear 8 short conversations
[00:25.16]and 2 long conversations. At the end of each conversation,
[00:29.94]one or more questions will be asked about what was said.
[00:34.56]Both the conversation and the questions will be spoken only once.
[00:38.97]After each question there will be a pause. During the pause,
[00:43.44]you must read the four choices marked A), B), C) and D),
[00:49.09]and decide which is the best answer.
[00:52.44]Then mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 2
[00:56.38]with a single line through the centre.
[00:59.56]Now, let’s begin with the eight short conversations.
[01:04.44]11. M: I thought you always enjoyed lessons. You sound so relieved.
[01:10.84]W: Well, yes. I don’t mind admitting that I am. I enjoyed school.
[01:14.97]But I did object to having to go every day once we had done all our exams.
[01:20.78]Q: What do we learn from the conversation?
[01:41.13]12. W: I just found out the registration of the international finance class
[01:46.35]is full in the elective system. Now I have to wait another semester to get in.
[01:52.79]M: Oh, Mary, why don’t you check back after the first week instead?
[01:57.26]Somebody might drop it.
[01:59.79]Q: What does the man mean?
[02:18.81]13. M: This morning Mr. King asked you to go to see him in his office.
[02:25.38]May I know what he said to you?
[02:27.60]W: He told me to work at the company until five p.m. every day,
[02:31.63]or I will be no longer needed here.
[02:34.35]Q: What happened to the woman?
[02:53.97]14. M: Everything has gone as smooth as clockwork — just like we planned.
[03:00.87]You never look at the positive side of things. Everything has been so easy!
[03:06.09]W: There’s trouble on the horizon. Have it your way.
[03:10.19]Q: What does the woman imply?
[03:29.13]15. M: How about going on a camping trip this weekend with us?
[03:34.66]We are planning on hiking and boating in the city park.
[03:38.35]W: That sounds great. But I’d better warn you:
[03:41.23]I’ve never been boating and I am not much of a swimmer either.
[03:45.19]Q: What can we learn from the conversation?
[04:04.44]16. W: I finally got the grant to go to graduate school.
[04:09.78]I’m going to do it in biochemistry which is beyond my interest.
[04:14.18]M: Sounds like an interesting field. Actually,
[04:17.31]biochemistry is a much better field for you.
[04:20.53]And I know that you’ve got some years of hard study ahead of you.
[04:24.56]Q: What can we get from the conversation?
[04:44.32]17. W: There’s no reason on earth why we should stay here
[04:49.91]to keep an eye on the experiment.
[04:51.72]M: Yes, there is! It’s better to be safe than sorry.
[04:55.94]Q: What can we conclude from the conversation?
[05:16.09]18. M: To be honest, I felt the class discussion is a waste of time!
[05:23.26]W: Yeah, the professor should teach us more about the subject
[05:27.07]instead of keep asking us to discuss all the time.
[05:31.22]Q: What does the woman think the teacher should do?
[05:48.22]Now you’ll hear two long conversations.
[05:54.25]Conversation One
[05:56.53]W: Good evening! Welcome to our Talk Show program.
[05:59.84]Our guest today is Mr. David Smith, who had the experiences of studying abroad
[06:04.97]for seven years and then returning back home. Well, Mr. Smith,
[06:08.53]do you think going abroad was the hard part?
[06:12.28]M: I don’t think so, but returning back home was really hard.
[06:16.40]W: Why?
[06:17.78]M: Well, for many students, returning back to their home countries
[06:22.23]can be a very confusing experience called Re-entry Shock.
[06:26.53]W: Re-entry Shock! That sounds quite interesting. Can you explain it?
[06:30.94]M: For example, many students who come to the United States experience
[06:35.91]freedoms they have never enjoyed in their country.
[06:38.81]W: Sure, such as freedom from family, freedom from cultural norms they didn’t like
[06:43.82]and freedom from the pressures of working in a real job.
[06:46.81]M: However, too much freedom and unstructured life can lead to other problems.
[06:52.56]Students sometimes skip classes, stay out late,
[06:56.00]and engage in activities that their families and cultures might not approve of,
[07:01.75]but students want to enjoy “freedom” while it lasts.
[07:05.68]W: So when students return back to their countries, they can struggle with
[07:09.97]fitting back into the cultural norms and family expectations of the past.
[07:14.72]M: Yes. Naturally, depression is possible and a loss of self can result.
[07:20.16]W: Then what can students do to minimize this Re-entry Shock?
[07:24.15]M: First of all, keep in contact with your family and friends while you are abroad.
[07:29.32]They will be your first source of advice and support once you return.
[07:33.28]W: What else?
[07:34.02]M: Second, have a clear plan what you will do when you return.
[07:37.77]Start looking for a job now or apply to enter a school months before you return.
[07:43.40]Re-entry Shock can be greatest when you have nothing to do when you return.
[07:48.14]Questions 19 to 22 are based on the conversation you have just heard.
[07:54.99]19. What are the two speakers talking about?
[08:14.10]20. What freedom can students enjoy in the USA according to the conversation?
[08:37.99]21. Which is one of the problems caused by too much freedom?
[09:00.73]22. What should students do when they return from abroad according to the man?
[09:24.27]Conversation Two
[09:26.15]W: Hi, Tim. I’m really sorry to hear about your grandfather.
[09:29.87]My sincerest sympathies go out to you and your family. He was such a great man.
[09:35.52]M: Thanks. As you know, he had been sick for some time before he passed away,
[09:41.96]so we were somewhat prepared.
[09:44.31]W: So, how’s your grandmother taking it?
[09:46.68]M: Oh, it’s been really hard on her.
[09:49.18]I don’t think you get over something like that.
[09:52.24]W: Yeah, I’m sure. My heart really goes out to her.
[09:55.50]Uh, so how’s your grandmother going to be able to manage things alone?
[09:59.65]M: Well, financially, grandmother will be able to live a secure life from now on.
[10:04.81]I mean, grandfather had life insurance
[10:08.34]and substantial investments in property and stocks,
[10:11.05]so returns on those should take care of her.
[10:14.15]But our main concern at this moment is her emotional state.
[10:17.55]She’s really down, so a call now and again should brighten her day.
[10:22.43]W: So, what are the funeral arrangements?
[10:24.68]M: Well, some of the family members will get together on Tuesday morning
[10:29.02]for a private memorial service,
[10:31.24]but there will be a viewing in the afternoon from 2:00 to 3:00,
[10:35.64]followed by the funeral service.
[10:38.17]W: I wish there was something I could do for you.
[10:40.39]M: Well, actually, there is. You know, grandfather really admired you a lot,
[10:45.96]and before he died, he asked if you’d sing a musical number at the funeral.
[10:51.20]W: Really? I’d be honored.
[10:53.80]M: It would really mean a lot to the family.
[10:56.02]W: Sure. Then, see you on Tuesday.
[10:59.13]M: Okay, see you then.
[11:01.72]Questions 23 to 25 are based on the conversation you have just heard.
[11:09.16]23. What can we assume about the death of the man’s grandfather?
[11:32.33]24. How is the man’s grandmother going to support herself after her husband is gone?
[11:56.63]25. What does the man ask the woman to do at the funeral?
[12:19.24]Section B
[12:20.86]Directions: In this section, you will hear 3 short passages.
[12:27.19]At the end of each passage, you will hear some questions.
[12:32.51]Both the passage and the questions will be spoken only once.
[12:37.08]After you hear a question, you must choose the best answer from the four choices
[12:42.88]marked A), B), C) and D). Then mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 2
[12:51.28]with a single line through the centre.
[12:54.00]Passage One
[12:56.65]The United Nations published a report that was called
[12:58.89]“The State of World Population”.
[13:01.59]It shows that the growth rate of world population will actually
[13:05.45]go down in the next ten years. The growth rate will fall from the present
[13:09.91]18% to a rate of about 16% by the end of this century.
[13:15.56]But the report also points out that problems of food,
[13:19.14]health care, housing care, housing, jobs and schools will get worse unless
[13:24.55]we do something about the situation.
[13:27.71]Why is this? Although the total growth rate of the world population will decrease,
[13:33.33]in some countries there will be a big rise in the population.
[13:37.12]More people will be born in Third World countries than in the richer
[13:41.43]Northern countries. So the population will grow faster in poor countries;
[13:45.99]and the problems in these countries will be very serious.
[13:50.05]This is because the family is more likely to survive
[13:53.18]if there are a lot of children to work for the members who become old or
[13:57.52]who cannot find work. A survey of the United Nations also shows that the growth rate is
[14:03.64]low where there is a higher level of income, better education,
[14:07.68]more health care and better living conditions. In this respect,
[14:12.68]government plays an important role.
[14:16.02]So, the conclusion of the United Nations report is:
[14:19.27]“Look after the people and the population will look after itself.”
[14:23.11]Questions 26 to 28 are based on the passage you have just heard.
[14:29.00]26. What can we learn from the passage?
[14:51.32]27. Why will the population situation occur in poor countries?
[15:14.93]28. What is the reason for the population situation in rich countries?
[15:40.15]Passage Two
[15:41.23]Why must we pay taxes? The answer is that the government needs money for many things,
[15:47.83]for example to pay its soldiers, sailors and airmen, to build roads, bridges, offices,
[15:55.20]schools, etc; and only the people of the country can supply the money.
[16:00.26]One of the most important taxes is income-tax which a person pays according to
[16:06.10]the amount of his income, whether he is a merchant, a doctor, a lawyer, a shopkeeper.
[16:11.79]This is called a “direct” tax, because it is paid in money direct to the government.
[16:17.33]Another tax is paid on goods such as watches, new clothes, tobacco, wine, etc,
[16:24.35]when they are brought into a country, such a tax is paid as part of the price of
[16:29.51]these goods if they are later sold in shops. We call it “indirect” tax, because
[16:35.51]it is paid indirectly through the shopkeeper.
[16:39.20]People usually complain about having to pay taxes,
[16:42.38]but they forget that the money
[16:44.13]is spent on things that they and their families need.
[16:47.25]We need policemen to catch thieves,
[16:49.53]to see that men obey the laws, to direct traffic, etc,
[16:53.84]and they must be paid what they earn;
[16:56.59]children need education and there must be schools and teachers;
[17:00.34]we want our streets to be kept clean, and the wages of men
[17:03.93]who do this kind of work have to be paid.
[17:06.72]Taxes, anyway, cannot be avoided. We buy our own food
[17:10.66]and clothes and pay for our own amusements;
[17:13.56]but there are several things that the State finds the money for,
[17:17.65]and that are necessary for us if our society is to continue.
[17:20.97]We have no real cause to complain, when we are asked to supply money to be spent
[17:26.69]for the good of ourselves and for our fellow citizens.
[17:30.59]Questions 29 to 31 are based on the passage you have just heard.
[17:35.75]29. What does the indirect tax mean?
[17:58.17]30. Why do people complain about having to pay taxes?
[18:19.36]31. Why does the speaker say “Taxes cannot be avoided” ?
[18:42.86]Passage Three
[18:44.82]Each day we all make many choices; most of these choices are small—
[18:49.85]what to wear, what to eat etc.
[18:52.51]still there are many important choices that we make in life—
[18:57.14]which university to attend, what to study, whom to marry, etc.
[19:02.79]Sometimes we may become tired of making choices,
[19:06.10]but we always know that we will continue
[19:07.91]to make them as long as we live,
[19:10.41]because that is better than having them made for us.
[19:13.72]We may sometimes ask for advice about a choice we must make,
[19:17.63]but ultimately most of the decisions as to
[19:20.35]which choices are best will be made by ourselves,
[19:23.75]both important and unimportant. We also know
[19:27.38]that we will undoubtedly have to suffer
[19:29.66]that consequences of making poor choices and
[19:32.72]the we will often rejoice in the many fortunate choices we make.
[19:36.72]Many writers have written about choices throughout our lives
[19:40.35]such as Boris Pasternak etc.
[19:43.51]One of the most popular and beloved poems
[19:45.64]in the English language has “choice”
[19:48.42]as its subject matter. In this poem, “the Road Not Taken”,
[19:53.35]Robert Frost describes walking along a path through the woods
[19:57.67]and coming to a fork in the path. He must choose which fork to take,
[20:02.29]that is, which way to go, knowing that he will probably never be able to come back
[20:07.42]and try the other way. He ends his poem by “I took the one less traveled by,
[20:14.10]and that has made all the difference”.
[20:17.17]This poem is seen as a metaphor for the important choices in life which do,
[20:21.98]indeed, make “all the difference”. In Frost’s case,
[20:26.23]the choice is often interpreted as his choice of career,
[20:30.14]to take the risk of becoming a poet, knowing
[20:33.41]that thousands of poets never really succeed.
[20:37.23]Questions 32 to 35 are based on the passage you have just heard.
[20:42.83]32. Why do we have to make choices as long as we live?
[21:06.15]33. What can we learn from the passage?
[21:27.48]34. Who is the author of the poem “The Road Not Taken”?
[21:50.30]35. What can we know about the poem from the passage?
[22:07.17]Section C
[22:08.76]Directions: In this section, you will hear a passage three times.
[22:13.99]When the passage is read for the first time, you should listen carefully
[22:18.83]for its general idea. When the passage is read for the second time,
[22:23.70]you are required to fill in the blanks numbered from 36 to 43
[22:28.86]with the exact words you have just heard.
[22:31.99]For blanks numbered from 44 to 46
[22:36.80]you are required to fill in the missing information. For these blanks,
[22:42.15]you can either use the exact words you have just heard or write down
[22:46.84]the main points in your own words.
[22:49.68]Finally, when the passage is read for the third time,
[22:53.80]you should check what you have written.
[22:57.27]Now listen to the passage.
[23:00.43]United Nations Day was established to commemorate the establishment of
[23:04.93]the United Nations in 1945.
[23:08.09]The name “United Nations” was devised by
[23:10.47]United States President Franklin D. Roosevelt
[23:14.29]and was first used in the “Declaration by United Nations”
[23:18.15]of January 1, 1942,
[23:22.18]during the Second World War.
[23:23.84]The United Nations officially came into existence on October 24, 1945,
[23:30.51]when the Charter had been approved by China, France, the Soviet Union,
[23:35.64]the United Kingdom, United States and by a majority of other signatories.
[23:41.49]United Nations Day is celebrated on October 24 each year.
[23:46.18]In order to stress the charter’s importance,
[23:49.26]in 1947 the General Assembly of the U.N. passed a resolution
[23:54.61]that October 24 shall hereafter be officially called United Nations Day,
[24:00.42]and shall be devoted to making known to the people of the world the aims
[24:05.76]and achievements of the United Nations,
[24:07.89]and to gaining their support for the work of the United Nations.
[24:11.70]It was apparent, and also quite important,
[24:14.58](that the general public should be informed
[24:18.39]about the content and purposes of the United Nations;
[24:21.24]therefore an entire week — United Nations Week — was set aside in October,
[24:26.82]with its chief observance on United Nations Day, October 24.
[24:32.45]By 1956, the American committee for the United Nations promoted
[24:37.58]the celebration of United Nations Week.
[24:40.76]The success of the United Nations in
[24:42.73]building world peace depends on all of us —
[24:45.92]on our own understanding and support.
[24:49.26]And it is evident that to help the United Nations is
[24:52.27]to help all of us to a peaceful future.
[24:57.55]Now the passage will be read again.
[25:03.08]United Nations Day was established to commemorate the establishment of
[25:07.48]the United Nations in 1945.
[25:10.79]The name “United Nations” was devised by
[25:13.98]United States President Franklin D. Roosevelt
[25:17.05]and was first used in the “Declaration by
[25:19.54]United Nations” of January 1, 1942,
[25:24.04]during the Second World War.
[25:26.21]The United Nations officially came into existence on October 24, 1945,
[25:32.54]when the Charter had been approved by China, France, the Soviet Union,
[25:38.11]the United Kingdom, United States and by a majority of other signatories.
[25:44.08]United Nations Day is celebrated on October 24 each year.
[25:48.61]In order to stress the charter’s importance,
[25:51.79]in 1947 the General Assembly of the U.N. passed a resolution
[25:57.08]that October 24 shall hereafter be officially called United Nations Day,
[26:02.79]and shall be devoted to making known to the people of the world the aims
[26:07.42]and achievements of the United Nations,
[26:10.33]and to gaining their support for the work of the United Nations.
[26:14.48]It was apparent, and also quite important,
[26:17.27](that the general public should be informed about the content and
[26:20.95]purposes of the United Nations;
[27:17.33]therefore an entire week — United Nations Week —
[27:20.83]was set aside in October,
[27:22.90]with its chief observance on United Nations Day, October 24.
[27:28.68]By 1956, the American committee for the United Nations promoted
[27:33.41]the celebration of United Nations Week.
[28:27.50]The success of the United Nations in
[28:28.84]building world peace depends on all of us —
[28:32.15]on our own understanding and support.
[28:35.22]And it is evident that to help the United Nations is
[28:38.34]to help all of us to a peaceful future.
[29:23.95]Now the passage will be read for the third time.
[29:29.04]United Nations Day was established to
[29:31.24]commemorate the establishment of
[29:33.42]the United Nations in 1945.
[29:36.76]The name “United Nations” was devised
[29:39.51]by United States President Franklin D. Roosevelt
[29:43.07]and was first used in the “Declaration
[29:45.55]by United Nations” of January 1, 1942,
[29:49.49]during the Second World War.
[29:52.40]The United Nations officially came into existence on October 24, 1945,
[29:58.26]when the Charter had been approved by China, France,
[30:02.43]the Soviet Union, the United Kingdom, United States
[30:06.36]and by a majority of other signatories.
[30:10.26]United Nations Day is celebrated on October 24 each year.
[30:14.33]In order to stress the charter’s importance,
[30:17.43]in 1947 the General Assembly of the U.N. passed a resolution
[30:22.70]that October 24 shall hereafter be officially
[30:26.86]called United Nations Day,
[30:29.01]and shall be devoted to making known to the people of the world the aims
[30:33.17]and achievements of the United Nations,
[30:36.33]and to gaining their support for the work of the United Nations.
[30:40.05]It was apparent, and also quite important,
[30:43.05](that the general public should be informed about the content and
[30:46.92]purposes of the United Nations;
[30:49.30]therefore an entire week — United Nations Week —
[30:52.83]was set aside in October,
[30:55.23]with its chief observance on United Nations Day, October 24.
[31:00.36]By 1956, the American committee for the United Nations promoted
[31:05.89]the celebration of United Nations Week.
[31:08.99]The success of the United Nations in building
[31:11.98]world peace depends on all of us —
[31:14.51]on our own understanding and support.
[31:17.39]And it is evident that to help the United Nations is
[31:20.77]to help all of us to a peaceful future.
[31:25.58]This is the end of listening comprehension.