[00:00.64]PART II LISTENING COMPREHENSION
[00:04.99]In Sections A, B and C you will hear everything ONCE ONLY.
[00:11.68]Listen carefully and then answer the questions that follow.
[00:16.35]Mark the correct answer to each question on Answer Sheet Two.
[00:21.95]SECTION A CONVERSATIONS
[00:25.73]In this section you will hear several conversations.
[00:30.44]Listen to the conversations carefully
[00:33.23]and then answer the questions that follow.
[00:37.01]Questions 1 to 3 are based on the following conversation.
[00:42.55]At the end of the conversation, you will be given 15 seconds
[00:47.43]to answer the questions.
[00:50.29]Now, listen to the conversation.
[00:55.43]W: Oh, my God! I don't know how to deal with the coming exams.
[01:00.33]Michael, you always do quite well in the exams.
[01:04.43]Could you help me out?
[01:06.56]M: I can't say I do well in my exams.
[01:09.40]I only follow the rules of study.
[01:12.04]W: The rules? Could you explain in detail?
[01:15.78]M: Sure. I never wait until the last minute before the exams.
[01:21.23]We must work hard during the whole course of our study.
[01:25.18]W: Right. I should avoid the last-minute rush.
[01:28.86]M: Anyone who waits until the last minute
[01:31.24]to learn the work of an entire course will be up
[01:34.30]against two problems.
[01:36.37]W: What are they?
[01:37.62]M: First, he's punishing himself
[01:39.90]for not allowing himself enough time
[01:42.14]to digest basic materials;
[01:45.30]second, he's causing emotional anxiety
[01:48.41]and physical fatigue which will lower his performance.
[01:51.94]W: That's right.
[01:53.39]M: All course materials should be reviewed at least once
[01:56.51]a week after being originally studied,
[01:59.72]again at a midway point,
[02:02.38]and then again in final review before the exams.
[02:06.42]W: In this way,
[02:07.61]students can avoid drinking black coffee
[02:10.36]for all night cram sessions.
[02:12.96]By the way, could you tell me how to review the entire text?
[02:17.31]M: OK. First, don't read the entire text over again.
[02:22.39]Just read the outlines.
[02:25.10]Rereading of the basic works should be kept to minimum.
[02:29.66]W: I think my notes should be helpful.
[02:47.08]Questions 4 to 7 are based on the following conversation.
[02:52.51]At the end of the conversation, you will be given 20 seconds
[02:56.52]to answer the questions.
[02:58.91]Now, listen to the conversation.
[03:02.59]W: Your survey sounds very good.
[03:05.48]How many people filled it in?
[03:08.04]M: I gave out 120 copies and got 70 back.
[03:13.19]W: That's a very high rate of return.
[03:16.19]Who did you give your questionnaires to?
[03:19.01]M: I gave a copy to every student in my residence hall
[03:22.59]and a few to my friends from other colleges.
[03:25.98]W: Don't you think this might influence your survey results?
[03:29.92]M: What do you mean?
[03:31.99]W: Students in your hall of residence might be of the same age.
[03:36.40]This means that they might have similar opinions.
[03:39.79]In this way, your results represent only student opinion,
[03:44.30]not public opinion.
[03:46.38]M: So how are you going to do your research?
[03:50.01]W: I'm going to interview my respondents in the shopping mall.
[03:54.05]If they agree,
[03:55.55]I will ask them some multiple-choice questions
[03:58.64]and note down their answers on my sheet.
[04:01.70]I will select people of different ages and attitudes,
[04:05.56]so that my sample people would be reasonably representative.
[04:09.99]M: Isn't it very difficult to ask meaningful questions
[04:13.15]using multiple choices?
[04:15.17]W: Yes, it is. I suppose your survey has
[04:19.02]the advantage of more detailed information.
[04:22.70]The secret to writing a successful survey is
[04:25.93]to write simple questions that target at the information
[04:29.61]you are looking for.
[04:31.49]Therefore, it is better to write a lot of short specific questions
[04:36.22]than longer general ones.
[04:38.70]M: So that's why it is taking you so long to write your survey.
[04:42.65]W: Yeah, but I hope I will be ready
[04:45.45]to start interviewing this coming weekend.
[05:08.19]Questions 8 to 10 are based on the following conversation.
[05:12.78]At the end of the conversation, you will be given 15 seconds
[05:17.33]to answer the questions.
[05:19.70]Now, listen to the conversation.
[05:23.58]W: Excuse me, Mr. Smith,
[05:26.02]would you please tell me something about the American universities?
[05:30.70]I really can't decide which university to choose.
[05:34.90]M: Yes, of course.
[05:37.11]Well, there are so many universities for you to choose from.
[05:41.77]Some famous universities such as Harvard University,
[05:45.44]Yale University, University of Michigan,
[05:49.50]and Massachusetts Institute of Technology
[05:52.47]are really wonderful places to study in,
[05:55.37]but they are very competitive and expensive.
[05:59.36]Some smaller universities or institutes are very nice,
[06:03.75]and much cheaper.
[06:06.13]W: What should I do after I decide which university to go to?
[06:10.71]M: Well, first, you should ask for an application form.
[06:15.17]Then, you should send it in with a copy of your school records.
[06:19.88]After that, you should ask your teachers
[06:22.74]for some letters of recommendation.
[06:25.54]W: Do I need to take any tests?
[06:28.35]M: Yes, you have to take TOEFL Test,
[06:31.36]which is Test of English as a Foreign Language.
[06:35.29]W: Is it all right to apply to several universities at the same time?
[06:40.07]M: Sure, no problem.
[06:42.72]W: Another thing.
[06:44.12]Are foreign students allowed to work in the States?
[06:47.55]M: Yes, but only in the summer.
[06:50.40]And you need to get permission
[06:52.11]from the U.S. Office of Immigration to do that.
[06:55.65]During the school year you're not allowed to work
[06:58.61]unless the work experience is part of your school program.
[07:02.81]W: Thank you. I appreciate your help.
[07:05.87]M: You're welcome.
[07:07.07]Please feel free to ask if you have any more questions.
[07:25.94]SECTION B PASSAGES
[07:28.90]In this section, you will hear several passages.
[07:33.42]Listen to the passages carefully
[07:36.02]and then answer the questions that follow.
[07:39.59]Questions 11 to 13 are based on the following passage.
[07:44.87]At the end of the passage,
[07:46.81]you will be given 15 seconds to answer the questions.
[07:51.60]Now, listen to the passage.
[07:56.80]Many people suffer from some form of extreme anxiety.
[08:01.70]Some experience occasional attacks of panic
[08:04.84]for no apparent reason.
[08:07.17]Others go around in a state of continual uneasiness.
[08:11.88]The usual way of controlling anxiety is with drugs,
[08:16.23]which cure none of the conditions described
[08:19.22]but do help patients manage their anxiety.
[08:23.16]Patients who take these drugs say that they are able to work,
[08:27.28]to sleep, and to go to places they had feared to visit.
[08:33.61]But the effects of the drugs on the human body,
[08:36.98]especially on the nervous system, have been unknown.
[08:41.64]We have started a series of studies
[08:44.16]to identify the effects of the drugs on the brain
[08:47.80]and have gained some insight into the costs
[08:50.96]and benefits of the anti-anxiety drugs.
[08:55.13]They are valuable
[08:56.48]because they can reduce the effects of anticipated failure,
[09:00.52]frustration, and disappointment.
[09:03.36]But their value demands a price.
[09:06.56]Two effects of the drugs are obviously harmful.
[09:10.82]First, they weaken a person's ability to react to changes;
[09:15.99]second, they fail to help a person deal with unexpected troubles.
[09:21.89]It is fairly sure that people will meet with problems
[09:25.59]they have never expected,
[09:27.55]so these harmful effects may
[09:29.37]make the price of anti-anxiety drugs too high.
[09:49.08]Questions 14 to 16 are based on the following passage.
[09:54.65]At the end of the passage,
[09:56.67]you will be given 15 seconds to answer the questions.
[10:01.24]Now, listen to the passage.
[10:06.96]Movies are the most popular form of entertainment
[10:10.48]for millions of Americans.
[10:13.02]They go to the movies to escape their normal everyday existence
[10:17.66]and to experience a life more exciting than their own.
[10:22.28]They may choose to see a particular film
[10:25.23]because they like the actors
[10:27.20]or because they have heard the film has a good story.
[10:31.40]But the main reason why people go to the movies is to escape.
[10:36.65]Sitting in a dark theater,
[10:38.79]watching the images on the screen,
[10:41.49]they enter another world that is very real to them.
[10:45.89]They become involved in the lives of the characters in the movie,
[10:49.93]and for two hours, they forget all about their own problems.
[10:55.32]They are in a dream world where things often appear to be
[10:59.27]more romantic and beautiful than in real life.
[11:03.65]The biggest "dream factories" are in Hollywood,
[11:07.48]the capital of the film industry.
[11:10.48]Each year, Hollywood studios make hundreds of movies
[11:14.89]that are shown all over the world.
[11:18.31]American movies are popular because they tell interesting stories
[11:22.82]and they are well made.
[11:24.95]They provide the public with heroes
[11:27.43]who do things the average person
[11:29.30]would like to do but often can't.
[11:32.83]People have to cope with many problems
[11:35.07]and frustrations in real life,
[11:37.88]so they feel encouraged
[11:39.80]when they see the "good guys" win in the movies.
[11:58.12]Questions 17 to 20 are based on the following passage.
[12:03.62]At the end of the passage,
[12:05.70]you will be given 20 seconds to answer the questions.
[12:10.07]Now, listen to the passage.
[12:13.64]After the early period of settlements,
[12:16.40]the first sharp increase in immigration
[12:19.59]took place in the 1830s and 1840s.
[12:24.04]This brought to America flocks of people from northern Europe
[12:28.45]who lost employment in the Industrial Revolution,
[12:32.03]and then a great number of Irish people who fled from famine.
[12:37.47]German political refugees arrived shortly after.
[12:42.03]In the 1880s,
[12:43.86]a tremendous flood of immigrants began coming in,
[12:47.88]this time largely from southern and eastern Europe.
[12:52.13]To most Americans,
[12:53.83]these newcomers seemed far stranger than the early settlers.
[12:58.82]They moved into the poorest neighborhood of the large cities.
[13:03.28]They tended to stay together and cling to their old ways.
[13:07.95]As they were accustomed to poverty,
[13:10.33]they were willing to work for very low wages.
[13:14.17]This made other workers,
[13:16.04]especially those in labor unions,
[13:18.88]afraid that the immigrants with the lower wage level
[13:22.42]would take jobs away from them.
[13:25.32]Indeed, organized labor became
[13:27.87]one of the key opponents of continued immigration.
[13:32.63]This opposition finally led to the passing of immigration laws
[13:36.73]in the 1920s, which restricted further immigration.
[13:42.07]In 1965, these unfair laws were replaced by a new immigration act,
[13:49.07]which granted equal opportunities to foreigners,
[13:52.66]regardless of their place of origin.
[13:55.76]Asians, like Koreans and Vietnamese,
[13:59.04]soon began to arrive.
[14:01.65]Many of these newcomers have worked very hard
[14:04.82]to establish themselves in their new land.
[14:29.54]SECTION C NEWS BROADCAST
[14:33.40]In this section, you will hear several news items.
[14:37.57]Listen to them carefully and then answer the questions that follow.
[14:43.33]Questions 21 and 22 are based on the following news.
[14:49.07]At the end of the news item,
[14:51.42]you will be given 10 seconds to answer the questions.
[14:55.87]Now, listen to the news.
[15:01.93]Officials in many countries say their governments are too poor
[15:06.50]to offer some form of health insurance to their citizens.
[15:10.75]But Mexico recently rolled out a program
[15:13.97]to protect poorer citizens
[15:16.10]from the expenses of a catastrophic illness.
[15:20.00]When a member of a poor household becomes sick,
[15:23.63]the illness can result in financial ruin,
[15:26.65]says political scientist Gary King
[15:29.29]at Harvard's School of Public Health.
[15:32.00]King says just a few years ago,
[15:34.97]close to half of Mexico's population faced this kind of risk.
[15:50.70]Questions 23 and 24 are based on the following news.
[15:56.39]At the end of the news item,
[15:58.53]you will be given 10 seconds to answer the questions.
[16:02.80]Now, listen to the news.
[16:06.70]Thousands of commuters are facing eight-hour traffic jams
[16:10.81]while crossing a 16-mile causeway
[16:13.76]linking Saudi Arabia to the island of Bahrain.
[16:17.91]Queues last well into the night,
[16:20.65]and officials admit there's no end in sight,
[16:23.69]the Arab News reports.
[16:25.67]When Saudi authorities investigated,
[16:28.32]they found there are not enough customs officials on the border
[16:32.28]to cope with the tens of thousands of people
[16:34.89]trying to cross every day
[16:37.32]—but this has led to a falling-out
[16:39.22]between the Traffic Department and the Passport Department,
[16:42.61]which blame each other for the gridlock.
[16:45.81]Saudi traffic police say they do their best
[16:48.71]to keep the queues moving,
[16:50.45]issuing around 90 fines every day,
[16:53.31]including 20 for parking violations.
[16:56.65]Police also say they are making daily arrests
[16:59.93]of illegal taxi drivers
[17:02.00]transporting people between the two countries.
[17:15.69]Questions 25 and 26 are based on the following news.
[17:21.53]At the end of the news item,
[17:23.83]you will be given 10 seconds to answer the questions.
[17:28.48]Now, listen to the news.
[17:32.73]Piracy off the coast of Somalia has become
[17:35.95]a multi-million dollar business
[17:38.27]as armed Somali gunmen attack all sorts of vessels
[17:42.84]—from small pleasure crafts to giant oil supertankers
[17:47.08]—transiting the region.
[17:49.11]The pirates are not interested in the cargo or crew.
[17:53.14]They only want ransom money
[17:54.94]that can reach several million dollars per vessel.
[17:58.77]In an effort to combat piracy,
[18:01.59]naval ships from the United States,
[18:04.22]the European Union, China, Russia, India and others
[18:09.28]have been dispatched to the region
[18:12.00]—especially to the Gulf of Aden.
[18:14.73]But analysts, such as J. Peter Pham
[18:18.48]with James Madison University in Harrisonburg,Virginia,
[18:22.55]say the pirates have changed their tactics.
[18:36.60]Questions 27 and 28 are based on the following news.
[18:42.07]At the end of the news item,
[18:44.25]you will be given 10 seconds to answer the questions.
[18:48.67]Now, listen to the news.
[18:53.21]European Union leaders will call for greater efforts
[18:56.32]to cut reliance on imported gas at a Brussels summit next week,
[19:01.14]a draft document shows,
[19:02.95]underlining their concern about strained relations
[19:06.55]with dominant energy supplier Russia over Ukraine.
[19:10.66]Ukraine is a transit route for shipping Russian gas to the EU,
[19:15.20]which relies on Russia for about a third of its supplies.
[19:19.50]Past supply disruption because of pricing disputes
[19:22.82]between Moscow and Kiev had already motivated EU leaders
[19:27.25]to seek alternatives to Russian gas,
[19:30.33]but Russia's seizure of Ukraine's Crimea region
[19:33.62]has increased the EU's focus on diversifying.
[19:47.16]Questions 29 and 30 are based on the following news.
[19:52.45]At the end of the news item,
[19:54.88]you will be given 10 seconds to answer the questions.
[19:59.25]Now, listen to the news.
[20:03.75]England is struggling with the heaviest snowfall
[20:06.76]to hit the country in nearly two decades.
[20:10.49]Among the hardest-hit regions are London and surrounding areas.
[20:15.71]Travel disruption and massive cancellations are widespread.
[20:20.42]While some tried to fight the elements,
[20:23.23]others simply took the day off and enjoyed
[20:25.98]the unusual 15-centimeter-deep blanket of beautiful white snow.
[20:31.79]Unlike parts of the world that regularly deal with snow,
[20:36.40]when it does show up in England,
[20:38.47]and sticks around,
[20:40.18]all sorts of chaos breaks out.
[20:43.28]This is the worst snowstorm to hit England in 18 years.
[20:58.49]This is the end of listening comprehension.