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1 Objectives
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2 I. Listening...
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3 II. Listenin...

1. To listen for specific details and general ideas as a listening focus;
2. To improve listening comprehension through specific exercises.

With comprehension, listening for specific details is very different from listening for general ideas. When it comes to listening, specifics and generalities are closely interrelated, as parts are to the whole. Therefore, it is of great importance for you to have both the ability to pick up specific details and the capacity to grasp main ideas.
● Now, for practice, let’s listen to a short dialogue.
W: How was business today?
M: I sold 15 percent of my fruit over the Internet.
Here’s the first specific question:
Q: How much of his fruit did he sell today?
a. 50 percent.
b. 15 percent.
c. 10 percent.
d. 5 percent.
The correct answer is b, which you must pick up as a detail from the dialogue.
Here’s another specific question:
Q: How was the fruit sold today?
a. By credit card.
b. By kilogram.
c. On sale.
d. Online.
The correct answer is d, which you must pick up as a detail from the dialogue.
Now let’s try to answer the following general question:
Q: What are they talking about?
a. Going online.
b. Sales promotions.
c. Starting a new business.
d. Today’s fruit sales.
From the general idea of the dialogue, you will conclude that the correct answer is d.
Now let’s practice some more.
● Listen to the following five mini-dialogues, and, having decided whether each of the questions below is specific or general, select the best answer from among the four choices given.
1)
a. Hang some pictures.
b. Rearrange the furniture.
c. Buy some nice furniture.
d. Use a different paint color on the wall.
2)
a. He cannot accept cash.
b. The store does not accept credit cards.
c. The fee for charging with a credit card is more than $15.
d. She cannot use a credit card if she spends less than $15.
3)
a. When to start.
b. Where to go.
c. What to buy.
d. How to pay.
4)
a. He bought a map on his way.
b. He used his sense of direction.
c. He followed the woman’s directions.
d. He asked the way to the woman’s place.
5)
a. They are cooking in the kitchen.
b. They are talking over dinner.
c. They are doing the dishes.
d. They are planning a party.
* Script:
1)
M: How do you like the way I’ve arranged the furniture in my living-room?
W: Fine. But I think the walls could use a few paintings.
Q: What is the woman suggesting the man do?
2)
W: Do you accept credit cards?
M: Only if the charge is more than $15.
Q: What does the man mean?
3)
M: Good. Will that be cash or credit?
W: Credit. I’ll put it on my VISA card.
Q: What are they talking about?
4)
W: Hi, John. Glad you could make it. Come on in.
M: Thanks. I had no trouble getting here. Your directions were great.
Q: How did the man find his way?
5)
M: Thanks, Kathy. Your dinner was delicious.
W: Glad you enjoyed it. Would you like some more spaghetti?
Q: What are they doing?


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.
dire | a. 可怕的 |
accelerate | vt. 加速 |
call sth. into question | 对某事提出质疑 |
journal | n. 杂志 |
Antarctica | 南极洲 |
potential | n. 潜力 |
predict | vt. 预测 |
milliliter | n. 毫升 |
literally | ad. 不夸张地 |
order of magnitude | 数量级 |
1)
a. Two scientific studies conducted by the United Nations.
b. The contributing factors to rising sea levels.
c. Measurements for the rate of sea level rise.
d. Effects of rising sea level on the planet.
2)
a. Melting ice not limited to Antarctica.
b. The current measurement of the rate of sea level rise.
c. The rate of sea level rise as expected by a 2013 United Nations study.
d. A rate of sea level rise faster than predicted by a 2013 United Nations study.
* Script:
The drumbeat of warnings about the dire effects of rising sea levels accelerated this week, with two reports calling into question whether some parts of the planet will become impossible to live in.
The latest, published Thursday in the scientific journal Nature, says melting ice in Antarctica has the potential to contribute to a rise in sea levels of 1 meter — more than 3 feet — by the end of this century.
And it says with ice also melting in other parts of the world, seas could rise 5 or 6 feet by the end of this century, far more than predicted in a 2013 United Nations study.
“We’re looking at the potential for a rate of sea level rise that we will be measuring in centimeters (rather than milliliters) per year — literally an order of magnitude faster,” said Robert DeConto of the University of Massachusetts Amherst, one of the study’s authors.
Q1: What is the news report mainly about?
Q2: What can we learn from the latest report?
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.
splash | vt. 挥洒 |
as far apart as | 两者差别很大 |
Iceland | 冰岛(欧洲岛国) |
economic output | 经济产量 |
council | n. 理事会 |
Qatar | 卡塔尔(西南亚国家) |
WTTC | abbr. 世界旅游业理事会 (= the World Travel & Tourism Council) |
3)
a. The growth of Chinese tourists traveling abroad.
b. The increasing economic output of China.
c. The rapid change of Chinese economics.
d. The improved quality of life in China.
4)
a. $10 billion.
b. $53 billion.
c. $120 billion.
d. $215 billion.
5)
a. 10 million.
b. 53 million.
c. 120 million.
d. 215 million.
* Script:
China’s growing middle class is splashing record amounts of cash on foreign holidays, boosting economies as far apart as Japan and Iceland.
Chinese tourists spent $215 billion abroad last year, 53% more than in 2014, according to a report from the World Travel & Tourism Council. That’s more than the annual economic output of Qatar, and Chinese tourists are now spending way more than anyone else, including Americans.
The number of Chinese tourists traveling internationally has more than doubled to 120 million people over the last five years, according to data from the China National Tourist Office and WTTC. That means one in every 10 international travelers now comes from China.
“The growth of Chinese tourists traveling abroad has been extraordinary,” David Scowsill, CEO of WTTC, told CNNMoney. “A lot of this growth is stimulated by more and more people coming into the middle class.”
Q3: What is the result of China’s growing middle class according to the news report?
Q4: How much did Chinese tourists spend abroad in 2015?
Q5: What is the internationally increased number of Chinese tourists in the last five years?

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. He ate his words.
b. He was impolite to her.
c. He came late for the date.
d. He had a date with another woman.
2)
a. His angry words.
b. His indifference (冷淡) .
c. His impolite behavior.
d. His kiss on another woman’s lips.
3)
a. She owed the man an explanation.
b. She had no faith in the man.
c. She would kill the man.
d. She forgave the man.
* Script:
W: I’m really angry.
M: What are you angry about?
W: I saw you at the movies with another date.
M: She was my sister.
W: Don’t tell me that! I saw you kissing her.
M: We’re an affectionate family.
W: You’re making my blood boil! You were kissing her on the lips.
M: Calm down. Just calm down.
W: I’m about to explode! You asked me to marry you last week, and last night I saw you with another woman. What do you have to say before I kill you?
M: Relax and count to ten. We’ll talk about this later.
Q1: Why is the woman angry about the man?
Q2: What really makes the woman’s blood boil?
Q3: What can we infer about the woman?
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. Investment.
b. Inflation.
c. Property.
d. Business.
5)
a. He’s asking her to be patient.
b. He’s good at buying and selling.
c. He’s telling her to catch the chance.
d. He’s warning her not to buy stocks and shares.
6)
a. She should stay away from the stock market.
b. She should wait until the market settles down.
c. She should not miss the current chance to buy.
d. She should do as he is doing now in the market.
7)
a. A drop in interest rates
b. A fortune to be made.
c. A rise in prices.
d. A fortune loss.
8)
a. Not to buy stocks and shares.
b. To put the money in the bank.
c. To have business of your own.
d. Not to put everything in one place.
* Script:
W: So, is this a good time to buy stocks and shares?
M: No, not at all. You should wait until the market drops or settles down, at least.
W: But surely if prices are going to rise…
M: Yes, but they could drop just as suddenly.
W: Oh, I think I see what you mean. If you’ve bought when prices are high…
M: … you could lose a fortune if the bottom drops out of the market.
W: Well, what can I do with my money then? Interest rates are so low at the moment.
M: Yes, they are.
W: What’s the best way to invest?
M: I think the most important thing is not to put everything in one place.
W: You mean spread it around a bit?
M: Exactly.
Q4: What are the man and woman talking about?
Q5: What can we learn from the man’s advice for the woman?
Q6: What does the man suggest that the woman do?
Q7: What does it mean when the bottom drops out of the market according to the man?
Q8: What’s important of investment according to 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. They determine how we think and make decisions.
b. They help us learn new languages quickly.
c. They help overcome our limitations.
d. They make us different from others.
2)
a. Because we can make our words powerful.
b. Because people seldom hear while listening.
c. Because we can never be accurate (精确的) about what we say.
d. Because people explain what you’re saying based on the way they think.
3)
a. Offering a great example.
b. Making it a daily challenge.
c. Focusing on what we do best.
d. Persuading your manager to adopt a new idea.
* Script:
Some of us learn new languages quickly; some are more social than others while some remember the face of each person they’ve come across. These strengths determine how we think and make decisions. Yes, this is probably obvious — different people think in different ways.
And yet the results of this couldn’t be any more powerful: It means that people explain what you’re saying in different ways, based on the way they think. To put it differently, the important thing is not what you say, but what others hear. A truth Dale Carnegie knew a long time ago:
“There is only one way… to get anybody to do anything. And that is by making the other person want to do it.”
Communicating well with the people around us and managing to convince them is a daily challenge. It doesn’t matter if you’re trying to persuade your manager to adopt a new idea, or your teenage daughter to take school more seriously. When we need to persuade others most of us focus on what we do best — some are very eloquent (有说服力的) , and others give great examples.
Q1: What does the speaker say about the strengths of different people?
Q2: Why is it that the important thing is not what you say, but what others hear?
Q3: Which of the following would the speaker most probably suggest doing to convince people?
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. Grasp the subject.
b. Present the facts.
c. Be accurate.
d. Talk fast.
5)
a. An idea that makes sense.
b. A quick mind to learn everything.
c. A focus on the most important thing.
d. Less time to process what you’ve said and question it.
6)
a. It was about personality and social psychology.
b. It was about the bad effect of caffeine (咖啡因) .
c. It was about talking speed and attitude.
d. It was about objectivity in knowledge.
7)
a. At a pace of 100 words per minute.
b. At a pace of 102 words per minute.
c. At a pace of 159 words per minute.
d. At a pace of 195 words per minute.
* Script:
How to convince people to accept your ideas? Talk fast. Yep. That’s right. People are more persuaded by a fast, conident talker than by an accurate one. Sort of makes sense—the faster you talk, the less time your listener has to process what you’ve said and question it. That and you create the feeling that you truly grasp the subject by running through the facts at a fast speed.
In October of 1976, a study published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology analyzed talking speed and attitude. The researchers spoke to the participants (参与者) , trying to convince them that caffeine was bad for them. When they spoke at a pace of 195 words per minute, the participants were more persuaded; those given the lecture at 102 words per minute were less convinced. It was considered that at higher rates of speech, the message was viewed as more credible—and therefore more persuasive. Talking fast seems to indicate confidence, intelligence, objectivity and superior knowledge. Speech at 100 words per minute, the minimum (最小量) of normal conversation, was associated with the negative (负面的) side of the coin.
Q4: How can we convince people to accept our ideas according to the speaker?
Q5: What happens to the listener if you talk faster?
Q6: What can we learn about the study published in October of 1976?
Q7: At how many words per minute did the participants in the study get more convinced?

