-
1 Objectives
-
2 I. Listening...
-
3 II. Listenin...
1. To listen for implicit meanings as a listening focus;
2. To improve listening comprehension through specific exercises.
In addition to their specific and general meaning, words also have extended meanings that can be implicit. Implicit meanings are not stated vocally, but are implied or expressed indirectly. Listeners infer because speakers imply. When it comes to listening comprehension, a listener who cannot make an inference is a listener whose understanding is limited.
● Now listen to the following short dialogue and try to answer the inference question below it:
W: I hope it won’t be inconvenient for Steven to drive us to the airport.
M:Wouldn’t it be easier if we take a taxi?
Q: What is the man implying?
a. That they not ask Steven to drive them.
b. That they ask Steven to drive the taxi.
c. That it’s easy to get to the airport.
d. That it’s not easy to get a taxi.
You will conclude that the correct answer must be a if you infer that the man doubts Steven will be able to take them.
Now let’s practice some more.
● Listen to the following five mini-dialogues and then, for each question below, select the best answer from among the four choices given.
1)
a. The class won’t enjoy going on the field trip.
b. All of the class members have paid the fee.
c. The transportation for the trip is free.
d. Some people may not go on the trip.
2)
a. He thinks it is too long.
b. He thinks it is boring.
c. He enjoyed it very much.
d. He only likes the ending.
3)
a. Studying MBA courses for a year.
b. Taking different courses.
c. Offering MBA courses.
d. Taking a break.
4)
a. An earlier class would be better for her.
b. She doesn’t need to study French.
c. Her class has been canceled.
d. She shouldn’t drop the class.
5)
a. He should take better notes during Professor Smith’s class.
b. They both missed class because they were sailing.
c. She is not interested in economics.
d. She missed Friday’s class too.
* Script:
1)
M: I think the whole class’s going on the field trip next Friday.
W: I’m not so sure. Not everyone has paid the transportation fee.
Q: What is the woman implying?
2)
W: Was there anything you didn’t like about the novel?
M: Only that it was too short!
Q: What is the man implying about the novel?
3)
M: Helen is taking MBA courses this semester.
W: Should she be taking them this year?
Q: What is the woman implying that Helen should be doing?
4)
W: I’m going to drop my French class. It meets too early in the morning for me.
M: Maria, is that really a good reason to drop the class?
Q: What is the man implying?
5)
M: Do you have notes from Professor Smith’s economics class Friday? I missed class that day.
W: Guess we’re in the same boat!
Q: What is the woman implying?
● Listen to the following five mini-dialogues and then, for each question that follows, select the best answer from among the four choices given.
1)
A. Those who tell the truth.
B. Those who mince words.
C. Those who are talkative.
D. Those who are direct.
2)
A. Sit down.
B. Stand still.
C. Get some exercise.
D. Change his residence.
3)
A. She’d better start her work early.
B. School will be easy this year.
C. School begins later this year.
D. He wants her to relax.
4)
A. Since the weather is nice, she wants to go boating.
B. She thinks the park is too far away.
C. She suggests they go to the park.
D. She’s not a very fast walker.
5)
A. It has been a good day.
B. That’s the place they’re going.
C. The store is closed for the day.
D. They’ve finished their day’s work.
* Script:
1)
M: I like people who speak frankly and truthfully without mincing words.
W: So do I. I dislike it when people beat around the bush without coming to the point.
Q: What kind of people do they like?
2)
M: I can’t stand living in this place anymore.
W: Well, why don’t you move then?
Q: What is the woman suggesting the man do?
3)
W: I have so much to do!
M: Take it easy. School doesn’t start until next week.
Q: What does the man mean?
4)
M: I feel like taking a walk — it’s so nice outside.
W: Great, let’s walk around the lake in the park.
Q: What does the woman mean?
5)
M: Is that it for today?
W: That’s it.
Q: What does the woman mean?
A. News Item One
● Listen to the following news item and then, for each question, select the best answer from among the four choices given.
BMW sedan | 宝马轿车 |
circumstance | n. 事件 |
police chief | 警察局局长 |
freak | a. 奇异的 |
outage | n. 断电 |
Pennsylvania | (美国)宾夕法尼亚州 |
at the height of | ……的顶峰或鼎盛时期 |
utilities | n. 公用事业(当局) |
1)
a. The worst weather tragedy in Massachusetts.
b. The electric power generated by high winds.
c. The loving story of a Massachusetts couple.
d. Heavy storms to the Northeast of America.
2)
a. Dozens of casualties.
b. Hundreds of traffic accidents.
c. Thousands of outages.
d. Millions of fallen trees.
* Script:
Dangerously high winds caused the death of a Massachusetts couple Sunday morning and left thousands of people without power as storms brought snow, thunder, rain and wind to the Northeast.
Authorities said 49-year-old Franklin and 51-year-old Manuela Teixeira were killed when a tree fell on their BMW sedan as they were driving down a street in Abington, Mass. Sunday morning.
“It’s just an unfortunate circumstance,” Abington police chief David Majenski told WFXT. Witness Brian Easton called the tragedy “a freak accident.”
More than 29,000 were still without power Sunday night. More than half of the outages were in Pennsylvania and New Jersey. At the height of the storm Sunday afternoon, utilities reported 46,000 outages in New Jersey and 18,000 in Pennsylvania. By late Sunday, there were 8,000 in New Jersey and 10,000 in Pennsylvania.
Q1: What is the news report about?
Q2: What happened at the height of the storm Sunday afternoon?
B. News Item Two
● Listen to the following news item and then, for each question, select the best answer from among the four choices given.
workout | n. 锻炼 |
laundry | n. 洗衣 |
garner | vt. 获得 |
inspiration | n. 灵感 |
gym | n. 体育馆 |
pedal | vi. 骑车 |
drum | n. 滚筒 |
spin | vi. 转 |
generate | vt. 产生 |
display screen | 显示屏 |
3)
a. China is keen on green projects of transportation.
b. College students are trained to be independent in China.
c. Chinese students welcome washing machines to campus.
d. Chinese students design bicycle-powered washing machine.
4)
a. Moving around on bike.
b. Changing sweat into energy.
c. Living on self-made electricity.
d. Doing laundry without electricity.
5)
a. While studying on campus.
b. While working out at the gym.
c. While doing laundry at home.
d. While riding a bike in the street.
* Script:
University students in northeastern China have come up with a bikepowered washing machine that would let users get a great workout while also doing their laundry.
A graduate design project by students at Dalian Nationalities University has garnered widespread interest around the world on social media. The inspiration for the project came from life on campus, said tutor Liu Xuefei.
“While working out at the gym, my student Su Linhao thought: Why not turn the sweat into energy and make good use of it… like doing laundry? There wasn’t any laundry room on campus so the students had to wash their clothes by hand,” Liu said. The concept is as simple as riding a bike, literally. While a rider pedals, the motion causes the drum of the washing machine to spin. Electricity is generated at the same time, which can power the bike’s display screen or be stored for future use.
Q3: Which of the following can be the best title for the news report?
Q4: What is the student’s accidental idea?
Q5: Where did the student come up with the idea?
A. Conversation One
● Listen to the following long conversation and then, for each question, select the best answer from among the four choices given.
1)
a. They were rather disappointed.
b. They expected it to be better.
c. They wanted to buy it.
d. They did like it.
2)
a. By the river.
b. At the center of the city.
c. Far away from downtown.
d. Close to the shopping center.
3)
a. Too high.
b. Reasonable.
c. Lower than expected.
d. Needs to be confirmed(证实).
* Script:
W: Isn’t it great? I mean just look at that view!
M: I must admit it is rather nice.
W: Plenty of room, and a really well-fitted kitchen.
M: It’s a bit out of the way though.
W: Come on, John. There’s a good bus service to downtown.
M: What’s the asking price?
W: Two million.
M: You’re joking.
W: Well, that’s down from two and a half million a couple of months ago.
M: Let’s just think about it, shall we? There’s no great rush.
Q1: What did the couple’s comments suggest when they visited the house?
Q2: Where is the apartment they’re talking about?
Q3: What does the asking price mean to the man?
B. Conversation Two
● Listen to the following long conversation and then, for each question, select the best answer from among the four choices given.
4)
a. He’s dating the woman.
b. He’s working at McDonald’s.
c. He’s looking for a part-time job.
d. He’s trying to stay away from fast foods.
5)
a. His fast foods.
b. His extra work.
c. His small business.
d. His expensive dating.
6)
a. He’s mean.
b. He’s supportive.
c. He’s cooperative.
d. He’s extravagant(奢侈的).
7)
a. To have dates.
b. To finish school.
c. To impress the woman.
d. To build up a savings account.
8)
a. Being a real man.
b. Spending money wisely.
c. No doing part-time work.
d. Taking all the fun out of life.
* Script:
M: Say, Janet, have you heard of any part-time work?
W: They might be hiring at McDonald’s. Why do you ask?
M: I really hate asking my dad for extra money. He’s very good about helping me out when I really need something, but I find dating is quite expensive and I feel I ought to be paying for that myself.
W: You could try all the fast food places. They’re usually looking for help.
M: How about the pay?
W: It isn’t too bad. I think it’s a little better than minimum wage.
M: It’s still a couple of years before I finish school. I would like to have a good savings account before I graduate.
W: Well, if that is your goal, you’d better take another look at dating. Like you said, that costs money. If you really want to build up a savings account, you’d better look carefully at how you’re spending your money.
M: Are you trying to take all the fun out of my life?
W: No, not at all, but how to spend your money wisely is a real sign of maturity.
M: Thanks for the advice. I’ll think about what you’ve said.
W: Good.
Q4: What is the man doing now?
Q5: What does the man want to use his own money to pay for?
Q6: What is the man trying to say about his father?
Q7: What’s the man’s point of doing part-time work?
Q8: What’s the woman’s advice for the man?
A. Passage One
● Listen to the following passage and then, for each question, select the best answer from among the four choices given.
1)
a. The different ways of looking at the world.
b. The western and Chinese way of problem solving.
c. The differences between the western and Chinese culture.
d. The importance of getting to the point in communication.
2)
a. Talking around it in circle-like discussions.
b. Not upsetting anyone by being indirect.
c. Maintaining “face” (Mianzi).
d. All of the above.
3)
a. No means different things in different situations.
b. An answer can be different with a person.
c. A person hears what s/he wants to hear.
d. Not every question has an answer.
* Script:
The Western way of problem solving is usually fairly direct and focused. We say a problem and then find a solution with all the steps which are needed to be taken to reach the end goal.
The Chinese seems to take a rather different approach. Instead of tackling a problem head-on(迎头) they will talk around it in circle-like discussions until a mutually agreeable solution is found. This seems to be partly about maintaining “face” (Mianzi) and not upsetting anyone by being indirect while also allowing people to move a conversation in a direction of their choosing. The waters get even more muddied(浑浊) because even after you’ve agreed a course of action orally, it is still possible for the other party to change direction without warning.
To give an example, three people asked a member of my team a similar question at different times. He gave each person a different answer, each fitted to what they wanted to hear. Chinese people rarely say no even if that’s what they’re thinking, so learning to mind-read is a skill well worth investing time in.
Q1: What is the speaker mainly talking about?
Q2: Which of the following can be the Chinese way of problem solving?
Q3: What is the speaker trying to tell us through the example?
B. Passage Two
● Listen to the following passage and then, for each question, select the best answer from among the four choices given.
4)
a. Learning Chinese can really make a difference.
b. Chinese and English are different in grammar.
c. Chinese is a difficult language to learn.
d. To learn Chinese is to learn its culture.
5)
a. How to use a complete sentence.
b. How to make sense to a Chinese.
c. How to think like a great teacher.
d. How to be grammatically correct.
6)
a. The context of Chinese use.
b. The grammar of Mandarin.
c. The method of teaching.
d. The way of thinking.
7)
a. One thing can be differently expressed in different cultures.
b. Misunderstanding often occurs in communication.
c. There is no such a word in Chinese as difficult.
d. The word difficult can be different in meaning.
* Script:
As I made progress in learning Mandarin, the common Chinese language, I also learned more about the culture and the different way of thinking. Language is so much more than just words and grammar and phrases.
Understanding the Chinese way of thinking makes the difference for truly mastering fluency in Chinese.
Thankfully, I had a great teacher who understood, at least sometimes, how we Western foreigners think. I have not counted(数) how many times I got to hear from her that my sentence was just fine grammatically but the meaning does not make sense to a Chinese because they think differently.
For example, in a dialog with an American classmate during Chinese class, I told him in Chinese that he was being difficult. Our Chinese teacher did not understand the meaning. We explained that being difficult here meant difficult to deal with and gave her examples. While she then understood what I meant, she told us that you can’t say that using the Mandarin word for difficult. Her alternative(类似表述) translated to something like “doing something with you is trouble” but she pointed out that a Chinese person would never say anything like that to someone.
Q4: What does the speaker mean by saying that language is so much more than just words and grammar and phrases?
Q5: What is the speaker’s problem in learning Mandarin?
Q6: What does the speaker ascribe the learning problem to?
Q7: What can we learn from the example given by the speaker?
