Model Test Three

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: Would you like to buy some furniture

for the apartment you have just moved into?

Can I interest you in a new bedroom suite?

W: Not right now.

What I really need is a table for the kitchen and a sofa.

Q: What does the woman want to do?

12. M: Where can I learn more about your health and fitness training program?

I think I would like to join your club.

I really haven’t taken very good care of myself.

W: I will have you speak with the new accounts director.

Q: What is the man going to do next?

13. M: I have just seen Tom this morning.

He was at the bank and said he was going to apply for a loan.

W: Oh, that could explain why he is not returning my call.

Q: What can we learn from the conversation?

14. M: Aren’t you even a little bit disappointed

that you didn’t get your promotion?

W: Maybe a little,

but I haven’t been with you guys long

and I know I need more experience before I will be ready

for that kind of responsibility.

Q: How does the woman feel about the promotion?

15. M: These new shoes hurt my feet.

I think I should have gotten a larger size.

W: It takes time to break in a new pair of shoes.

Q: What can be inferred from the conversation?

16. M: Excuse me, but I don’t know which is the call number of this book

and what a call number is for.

W: The call number is the number in the top right corner of the card.

It is used as a guide to find the book you want.

Q: What is the man doing?

17. M: My boss is unreasonable.

He yelled at me just because I made a few more copies.

W: Well, maybe you should think in his position.

The company is losing money, and he is under great pressure.

Q: What does the woman suggest the man do?

18. M: You know, this project is already way over budget.

We will either have to accept the loss or find a way to cut costs.

W: I know, but if we take the loss,

it might mean that we go out of business.

Q: What will they most probably do next?

Now you’ll hear the two long conversations.

Conversation One

M: Hi, Laura. Where are you heading with that big bag?

W: Hi, Peter. I’m off to the gym(体育馆).

I’ve got to stay in shape, you know.

I try to go three times a week,

but I’m busy, so I can’t always make it.

M: I know more women who work out(锻炼身体，做运动) than men.

What’s the main reason you work out?

For your health, or to look good?

W: To be honest, for both.

To us women, good looks are always a very important consideration.

M: If you were honest,

most men who work out would admit that they also do it to look better,

and not merely for health reasons.

W: How about you?

Do you get any regular exercise?

M: I do a lot of walking, for exercise and enjoyment—

sometimes ten to twenty kilometers at a time—

but I never go to the gym like you do.

W: Well, walking is good exercise.

How about sports?

M: Not since my school days.

I used to love playing baseball,

but it’s impossible to get enough people together for a game now.

Mostly I just watch sports on TV.

W: I play tennis regularly with my friends,

and sometimes go swimming and cycling by myself.

M: Oh, I forgot about that.

I go cycling sometimes too.

And I often go swimming on vacation,

but only recreational swimming.

W: Why don’t you join me at the gym sometime?

I can get you a guest pass.

M: Well, maybe someday,

but I’m pretty lazy about things like that.

questions 19 to 21 are based on the conversation you have just heard.

19. Where does this conversation probably take place?

20. What do you know about the man in terms of exercise?

21. Which is probably not the woman’s favorite sport?

Conversation Two

W: Well, first of all,

I’ll talk about the technical features of the two products,

just in terms of their capabilities…

M: No details, Alex. Please.

W: No, in fact it couldn’t be easier…

the two products are practically identical.

M: Yes, I agree. Technically they are almost the same.

There is no real difference between them —

not in terms of use or of performance.

W: So the next consideration is price.

Product A is certainly more expensive.

All A products are quite a lot dearer(昂贵的);

we are talking about 10 to 15 percent.

M: And what do you think about that?

W: Price isn’t everything.

M: Hmm…

W: Product A has a technical lead in research and a growing market share.

M: But a smaller share right now.

W: Yes, but I’m fairly sure that

product A looks like a stronger company in the long term.

M: So, what about product B, then?

W: Well, a larger market share, a lot cheaper, we know that,

but if our market analysis is right, this will change sooner or later.

M: But to summarize, you think that product A will do better,

er… has more potential to survive future commercial pressures?

W: I’m sure the company has an excellent future, good design,

and good marketing strategy.

Everything we found out leads us to the conclusion,

even though the price is higher,

the name less well-known, we’re confident

that Product A is a better choice.

M: That’s right, we have to look ahead.

Questions 22 to 25 are based on the conversation you have just heard.

22. What are the two speakers mainly talking about?

23. What do we learn from the conversation about Product B?

24. What do we learn from the conversation about Product A?

25. According to the conversation, what will the two speakers do then?

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 center.

Passage One

Recently, numbers of studies found a direct link

between sea ice in the Arctic Ocean and the health of polar bears.

The scientists say the animals will disappear

from the north coasts of Alaska and Russia in the next fifty years.

The only polar bears to survive will be in Canada’s far north

and the west coast of Greenland.

Most polar bears in the world live in Greenland and Norway.

About twenty-five percent live mainly in Alaska.

They travel to Canada and Russia during the year.

The scientists say climate change would reduce the animals’ living area

so that it will no longer include Alaska.

They found that almost 2/3 of the world’s 19 polar bear populations

will disappear from the earth

by the middle of this century.

The studies showed that three more groups of polar bears will disappear

within seventy-five years.

Scientists say polar bears still can be saved.

But they say the world must begin taking steps

to reduce climate change to do this.

The Center for Biological Diversity

says governments around the world need to reduce the release of pollution

like carbon dioxide gases.

Scientists say one step toward this goal

would be to include polar bears in America’s list of endangered species.

Then federal agencies would be able to make sure that industrial activities

do not threaten their survival.

The United States Fish and Wildlife Service

is expected to examine the new findings

when it considers whether polar bears should be included

on the Endangered Species List.

The Fish and Wildlife Service

is expected to announce its decision in January.

Questions 26 to 28 are based on the passage you have just heard.

26. Where do about twenty-five percent of polar bears mainly live?

27. According to scientists what should we do to save polar bears?

28. Who can make sure industrial activities do not threaten polar bears?

Passage Two

Experts say over half of the world’s 7,000 languages

are in danger of disappearing.

Every two weeks one language disappears.

As the last speakers of a language die off,

the valuable information contained within a language also disappears.

Sometimes a language disappears immediately

when the last person speaking it dies.

Or, a local language might disappear more slowly.

This happens when an official language is used more often

and children stop learning the local language of their parents.

This is not a new process.

Official languages often represent a form of control

over a group of people.

Throughout history,

the language spoken by a powerful group

spreads across a civilization.

The more powerful culture rarely respects

the language and culture of smaller ethnic groups.

So, smaller cultures lose their local language

as the language of the culture in power

becomes the stronger influence.

For example, many native languages

in the Russian area of Siberia are threatened.

This is largely because of the hostile language policies

of the former Soviet Union

that forced the use of Russian as the official language.

The Internet could be thought of

as a new method of language control.

It’s said that 90% of the world’s languages

are not represented on the Internet.

Experts say protecting languages

is very important for many reasons.

Languages contain the histories, ideas

and knowledge of a culture.

Languages also contain valuable information

about local medicines, plants and animals.

Many endangered languages are spoken by native cultures

in close contact with the natural world.

Questions 29 to 32 are based on the passage you have just heard.

29. How does the official language affect a local language?

30. How does the more powerful culture behave

to the language and culture of smaller ethnic groups?

31. Why are many native languages

in the Russian area of Siberia threatened?

32. Why is it important to protect languages?

Passage Three

Medical experts say most Americans do not get enough sleep.

They say more Americans need to rest for a short period

in the middle of the day.

They are advising people to sleep lightly

before continuing with other activities.

One study earlier this year found that

persons who sleep for a few minutes during the day

are less likely to die of heart disease.

Adults who rested for half an hour

at least three times a week

had a thirty-seven percent lower risk of dying from heart disease

than those who did not nap.

Study organizers said the strongest evidence was in working men.

The organizers said naps might improve health

by reducing tension caused by work.

Some European and Latin American businesses

have supported the idea of napping for many years.

They urge people to leave work, go home

and have a nap before returning.

In the United States,

some companies let workers rest briefly in their offices.

They believe this reduces mistakes and accidents,

and also increases the amount of work a person can do.

Sleep experts say

it is likely that people make more mistakes at work

than at other times.

They say people should not carry out important duties

when they feel sleepy.

About twenty minutes of rest is all they need.

Experts say this provides extra energy

and can increase their effectiveness until the end of the day.

But experts warn that a nap should last

no more than twenty to thirty minutes.

A longer nap will put the body into deep sleep.

Waking up will be difficult.

Questions 33 to 35 are based on the passage you have just heard.

33. How might naps improve people’s health?

34. Why do some American companies

let workers rest briefly in their offices?

35. What will happen after a person takes a nap for 50 minutes?

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 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.

Today we explore the collections of the Denver Art Museum in Colorado.

The two main buildings of the museum

contain art from many periods and places.

The newest extension of the museum opened last year.

The tall, silver-colored building

was designed by the internationally famous American architect

Daniel Libeskind.

When you first walk

toward the Denver Art Museum,

you might not realize the building you are looking at is a museum.

The tall North Building

looks like a defensive structure built long ago.

It was actually built in nineteen seventy-one

by the architect Gio Ponti.

He once said that

“art is a treasure and these thin beautiful and great

but jealous walls defend it.”

The surface of the building

is covered in over one million glass tiles

that shine in the bright Colorado sun.

The inside of the Denver Art Museum,

in which there are rich collections of modern and ancient art

as well as art from Asia, Africa, America and Europe,

is as interesting as its outside.

It is made up of eighty mirrored glass circles

placed on the walls in different areas,

and each circle has a lighted number in its center.

The numbers count up and down

at different speeds between the numbers one through nine..

The Denver Art Museum recently had an exhibition of works

by the abstract expressionist painter Clyfford Still.

When he died in nineteen eighty,

he gave his collection of work to a city

that would build a museum to protect and present his art.

The Clyfford Still museum

will be built next door to the Denver Art Museum.

Now the passage will be read again.

Today we explore the collections of the Denver Art Museum in Colorado.

The two main buildings of the museum

contain art from many periods and places.

The newest extension of the museum opened last year.

The tall, silver-colored building

was designed by the internationally famous American architect

Daniel Libeskind.

When you first walk toward the Denver Art Museum,

you might not realize

the building you are looking at is a museum.

The tall North Building

looks like a defensive structure built long ago.

It was actually built in nineteen seventy-one

by the architect Gio Ponti.

He once said that

“art is a treasure and these thin beautiful and great

but jealous walls defend it.”

The surface of the building

is covered in over one million glass tiles

that shine in the bright Colorado sun.

The inside of the Denver Art Museum,

in which there are rich collections of modern and ancient art

as well as art from Asia, Africa, America and Europe,

is as interesting as its outside.

It is made up of eighty mirrored glass circles

placed on the walls in different areas,

and each circle has a lighted number in its center.

The numbers count up and down at different speeds

between the numbers one through nine.

The Denver Art Museum recently had an exhibition of works

by the abstract expressionist painter Clyfford Still.

When he died in nineteen eighty,

he gave his collection of work to a city

that would build a museum to protect and present his art.

The Clyfford Still museum

will be built next door to the Denver Art Museum.

Now the passage will be read for the third time.

Today we explore the collections of the Denver Art Museum in Colorado.

The two main buildings of the museum

contain art from many periods and places.

The newest extension of the museum opened last year.

The tall, silver-colored building

was designed by the internationally famous American architect

Daniel Libeskind.

When you first walk toward the Denver Art Museum,

you might not realize

the building you are looking at is a museum.

The tall North Building

looks like a defensive structure built long ago.

It was actually built in nineteen seventy-one

by the architect Gio Ponti.

He once said that

“art is a treasure and these thin beautiful and great

but jealous walls defend it.”

The surface of the building

is covered in over one million glass tiles

that shine in the bright Colorado sun.

The inside of the Denver Art Museum,

in which there are rich collections of modern and ancient art

as well as art from Asia, Africa, America and Europe,

is as interesting as its outside.

It is made up of eighty mirrored glass circles

placed on the walls in different areas,

and each circle has a lighted number in its center.

The numbers count up and down at different speeds

between the numbers one through nine.

The Denver Art Museum recently had an exhibition of works

by the abstract expressionist painter Clyfford Still.

When he died in nineteen eighty,

he gave his collection of work to a city

that would build a museum to protect and present his art.

The Clyfford Still museum

will be built next door to the Denver Art Museum.

This is the end of listening comprehension.