Listening Comprehension

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Section A

Directions: In this section, you will hear 10 short conversations. At the end of each conversation, a question will be asked about what was said. Both the conversation and the question 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 the Answer Sheet with a single line through the centre.

Example: You will hear:

M: Is it possible for you to work late, Miss Green?
W: Work late? I suppose so, if you really think it¡¯s necessary.

Q: Where do you think this conversation most probably took place?
You will read:

A)At the office.    B)In the waiting room. C)At the airport.    D)In a restaurant.

From the conversation we know that the two were talking about some work they had to finish in the evening. This is most likely to have taken place at the office. Therefore, A) ¡°At the office "is the best answer. You should choose £ÛA£Ýon the Answer Sheet and mark it with a single line through center.

Sample Answer £ÛA£Ý£ÛB£Ý£ÛC£Ý£ÛD£Ý

Question 1.

W:I suppose you¡¯ve bought some gifts for your family.
M: Well, I¡¯ve bought a shirt for my father, and two books for my sister. But I haven¡¯t decided what to buy for my mother, probably some jewels.

Q: Who did the man buy the books for?

A)His father.    B)His mother.

C)His brother.  D)His sister.

Question 2.

W: Look it says they want a junior sales manager, and it seems like it¡¯s a big company. That¡¯ll be good, for you might have to travel a lot.
M: Do they say anything about the experience?

Q: What are they talking about?

A)A job opportunity.    B)A position as general manager.

C)A big travel agency.    D)An inexperienced salesman.

Question 3.

W: I think we've covered everything. What about a cup of coffee before we move on to the next item?
M: Good idea! I really can't wait another minute.

Q: What does the woman suggest doing?
A£  Having a break.
B£  Continuing the meeting.
C£  Moving on to the next item.
D£  Waiting a little longer.

Question 4.

W: But what happens if it rains? What are we going to do then?
M: We'll have to count on good weather. But if it does rain, the whole thing will have to be cancelled.

Q: What do we learn from the conversation ?
A£  The weather forecast says it will be fine.
B£  The weather doesn't count in their plan.
C£  They will not do as planned in case of rain.
D£  They will postpone their program if it rains.

Question 5.

W: You took an optional course this semester, didn't you? How is it going?
M: Terrible! It seems like the more the professor talks, the less I understand.

Q: How does the man feel about the course?
A£  He wishes to have more courses like it.
B£  He finds it hard to follow the teacher.
C£  He wishes the teacher would talk more.
D£  He doesn't like the teacher's accent.

Question 6.
W: Mark is playing computer games.
M: Should he do that when the final exam is drawing near?

Q: What does the man think Mark should do?

 A£  Go on with the game.
B£  Review his lessons.
C£  Draw pictures on the computer.
D£  Have a good rest.

Question 7.

M: Jack seems to think this year's basketball season would be disappointing.
W: That's his opinion. Most others think differently.

Q: What does the woman mean?
A£  She does not agree with Jack.
B£  Jack¡¯s performance is disappointing.
C£  Most people will find basketball boring.
D£  She shares Jack's opinion.

Question 8.

M: Is this the check-in counter for flight 914 to Los Angeles?
W: Yes. But I'm sorry the flight is delayed because of a minor mechanical problem. Please wait for further notice.

Q: What do we learn from this conversation?
A£  The man went to a wrong check-in counter.
B£  The man has just missed his flight.
C£  The plane will leave at 9¦Ÿ14.
D£  The plane's departure time remains unknown.

Question 9.
M: Excuse me. I'd like to place an advertisement for used car in this Sunday edition of your paper.
W: Okay. But you have to run your advertisement all week. We can't quote rates for just Sunday.

Q: Where is the conversation most probably taking place?
A£  At a newsstand.
B£  At a car dealer's.
C£  At a publishing house.
D£  At a newspaper office.

Question 10.
M: I spent so much time polishing my letter of application.
W: It's worthwhile to make the effort. You know just how important it is to give a good impression.

Q: What do we know about the man?
A£  He wants to get a new position.
B£  He is asking the woman for help.
C£  He has left the woman a good impression.
D£  He enjoys letter writing.
¡¡¡¡

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 the Answer Sheet with a single line through the centre.

Passage One

     Not everybody reads the daily newspaper. People who do not read newspapers are sometimes referred to as non-readers. Early research has shown that non-readers are generally low in education, low in income, either very young or very old. In addition, non-readers are more likely to live in rural areas and have less contact with neighbors and friends. Other studies show that non-readers tend to isolate themselves from the community, are less likely to own a home and seldom belong to local voluntary organizations. Why don't these people read daily paper? They say they don't have the time, they prefer radio or TV, they have no interest in reading at all, and besides, they think newspapers are too expensive.

Recent surveys, however, have indicated that the portrait of the non-reader is more complicated than first thought. There appears to be a group of non-readers that does not fit the type mentioned above. They are high in income and fall into the age group of twenty-six to sixty-five. They are far more likely to report that they don't have the time to read the papers and they have no interest in the content. Editors and publishers are attempting to win them back. First, they are adding news briefs and comprehensive indexes. This will help overcome the time problem, and they are also giving the variety to newspaper content to help build the readers interest.

Questions 11 to 13 are based on the passage you have just heard.

11. What is typical of non-readers according to the early research?
¡¡ A£  They are interested in other kinds of reading.
¡¡¡¡B£  They are active in voluntary services.
¡¡¡¡C£  They tend to be low in education and in income.
¡¡¡¡D£  They live in isolated areas.

12. What are the findings of recent surveys?
¡¡¡¡A£  The reasons why people don't read newspapers are more complicated than assumed.
¡¡¡¡B£  There are more uneducated people among the wealthy than originally expected.
¡¡¡¡C£  The number of newspaper readers is steadily increasing.
¡¡¡¡D£  There are more nonreaders among young people nowadays.

13. What are editors and publishers doing to attract non-readers?
¡¡A£  Lowering the prices of their newspapers.
¡¡B£  Shortening their news stories.
¡¡C£  Adding variety to their newspaper content.
¡¡D£  Including more advertisements in their newspapers.

Passage Two

Did you know that there is a kind of bird that can sew? This bird, called the tailor-bird, uses its mouth as a needle. It sews leaves together in the shape of a cup, then adds a layer of straw to the inside of the cup and lays its eggs there. Each bird species builds its own special kind of nest. The most common materials used for nests are grasses, branches and feathers. A bird must weave these materials into a nest. Just imagine building a house without cement or nails to hold together. Another bird is called the weaver-bird. The weaver-bird builds a nest that looks like a basket. The nest is shaped like a pear with a hole in the middle. The hole is the door of the nest. A third bird is called oven-bird. The oven-bird makes a nest that is very solid. The nest is made of mud. The oven-bird forms the mud into the shape of an oven and then lets it dry in the sun. The sun bakes the mud, making it very hard.

Not all birds make their homes in branches. Some birds build their nests on the ground, while others bear their eggs under the ground, and some birds do not build nests at all.So when you look for nests and eggs in the branches of trees and bushes, remember that some nests may be right under your feet.

Question 14 to 17 are based on the passage you have just heard.

14. What does the nest built by tailor-bird look like?

. A£  A basket.¡¡ ¡¡¡¡C£  An egg. ¡¡¡¡B£  A cup. ¡¡¡¡¡¡D£  An oven. ¡¡¡¡

15. Why is there a hole in the weaver-bird's nest?

A£  To let in the sunshine. ¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡ B£  To serve as its door.
C£  To keep the nest cool. ¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡ D£  For the bird to lay eggs. ¡¡¡¡

16. What is the oven-bird's nest made of?
A£  Branches. ¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡ ¡¡B£  Grasses. ¡¡ C£  Mud. ¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡ D£  Straw. ¡¡¡¡

17. What might surprise us about bird's nests according to the speaker?
A£  Some are built underground.
B£  Some can be eaten.
C£  Most are sewed with grasses.
D£  Most are dried by the sun. ¡¡¡¡

Passage Three

You can tell the age of a tree by counting its rings. But these records of a tree's life really say a lot more. Scientists are using tree rings to learn what's been happening on the sun's surface for the last ten thousand years. Each ring represents a year of growth. As the tree grows, it adds a layer to its trunk,taking up chemical elements from the air. By looking at elements in the rings from a given year, scientists can tell what elements were in the air that year.

 Dr. Stevenson is analyzing one element, carbon-14, in rings from both living and dead trees. Some rings go back almost ten thousand years to the end of the Ice Age.When Stevenson followed the carbon-14 trail back in time, he found carbon-14 levels changed with the intensity of solar burning. You see£¬he sun has cycles. Some times it burns fiercely, at other times it's relatively calm.During the sun's violent periods, it throws off charged particles in fast moving streams called "solar winds". The particles interfere with formation of carbon-14 on earth. When there is more solar wind activity, less carbon-14 is produce.Ten thousand years of tree rings show that the carbon-14 level rises and falls about every 420 years. The scientists concluded that solar wind activity must follow the same cycle.

Question 18 to 20 are based on the passage you have just heard¡£ª±

18. What's the purpose of the scientists in studying tree rings?
¡¡¡¡A£  To examine the chemical elements in the Ice Age.
¡¡¡¡B£  To look into the pattern of solar wind activity.
¡¡¡¡C£  To analyze the composition of different trees.
¡¡¡¡D£  To find out the origin of carbon-14 on Earth.

19. What affects the amount of carbon-14 on earth?
¡¡ A£  The lifecycle of trees.
¡¡¡¡B£  The number of trees.
¡¡¡¡C£  The intensity of solar burning.
¡¡¡¡D£  The quality of air.

20. What do we learn from the passage about solar wind activity?

¡¡¡¡A£  It affects the growth of trees.
¡¡¡¡B£  It has been increasing since the Ice Age.
¡¡¡¡C£  It is determined by the chemicals in the air.
¡¡¡¡D£  It follows a certain cycle. ¡¡¡¡