College English Test—Band Six
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: The dean just announced
that Dr. Holden's going to take over
as Chairman of the History Department.
W: I knew it all along! He's the obvious choice.
All the other candidates are no match for him!
Q: What does the woman mean?
12. W: Hey, let me know how your summer's going!
I'll miss you guys while I'm here working in the library.
M: I'll be working, too!
But I'll send you an e-mail or call you once in a while.
When we all get back to school, we can have a party or something.
Q: What do we learn about the two speakers?
13. M: The assignment on physics is a real challenge.
I don't think I can finish it on time all by myself.
W: Why don't we join our efforts together?
It may be easier then.
Q: What does the woman suggest?
14. M: Jean really lost her temper
in Dr. Brown's class this morning.
W: Oh? Did she? But I think her frankness is really
something to be appreciated.
Q: What does the woman mean?
15. W: We heard that when you were a kid,
you submitted a story to Reader's Digest.
M: Well, I don't remember the story exactly,
but my idea of a great time then was a pad of lined paper
and a new blue pen. I thought myself as
a Reader's Digest staff member at the age of six.
Q: What do we learn about the man from the conversation?
16. M: Your son certainly shows a lot of enthusiasm
on the tennis court.
W: I only wish he'd show as much for his studies.
Q: What does the woman imply about her son?
17. W: We suppose to meet John here
at the railway station.
M: That's like looking for a needle in a haystack.
Q: What does that man imply?
18. W: Our school has just built
some new apartments near campus,
but one bedroom runs for 500 dollars a month.
M: That's a bit beyond the reach of most students!
Q: What does the man mean?
Now you'll hear the two long conversations.
Conversation One
W：So you are up to some tennis this afternoon or what?
M: Well, to tell you the truth,
I'm not feeling so hot today.
W: Come on… How long has it been since we played？
M: A couple of days.
W: A couple of days? Come on.
It's been more than a couple of days.
M: Yeah. I guess you're right.
It's been almost a week.
W: It's been exactly a week.
And we used to play at least three times this week.
M: I know. Playing right after class
was something to look forward to.
W: Yeah. And it was right before dinner.
So we built up our appetite.
M: I've just been very busy. I guess.
And my stomach is bothering me today.
W: But you look OK to me.
M: Well, I was up late with Steve
in the library working on a project.
We got to do it by tomorrow.
We've been working on it all weekend.
And I was drinking a lot of coffee.
I guess, I just drank too much.
W: Listen. I took that class last semester.
And I could meet you in the library later tonight
and help you with it if you want.
And then you have time to play tennis this afternoon.
M: Yeah. I guess my stomach doesn't hurt that bad.
And I could certainly use your help. But it's also…
W: Is there something else bothering you?
M: Well, to be honest, I'm getting tired…
W: OK, don't worry.
You may take some time to rest.
We will meet for tennis some time later.
Questions 19 to 21 are based on the conversation you have just heard.
19. What are the students mainly discussing?
20. What does the man think is the reason for his stomach?
21. What does the woman offer to do for the man?
Conversation Two
M: Hi, Cathy. I am here because I visited caves
all over North America. Since you are going to
study cave formations, Dr. Bow asked me to
come to share some of my experiences with you.
W: Hi, Bill. So wonderful!
I can't wait to hear about it!
M: Recently, I visited the La Chagire Cave in New Mexico.
My dream has always been to discover a new passage way.
I had a chance there, because La Chagire is so large
that discoveries are frequently made there.
W: Was it newly discovered?
M: The cave was not even discovered until 1986.
However, people in that area had figured
that there must be a cave nearby,
because of the strong wind that blew from
behind the huge rock that covered the entrance.
Enormous amount of air enter and exit the cave
in order to maintain balance of the pressure
with the inside air.
W: You must have had to fight heavy wind
when you were in the cave.
M: Exactly, I had to fight 45 mile per hour winds.
After all that effort, I had to be extremely careful
maintaining my energy level.
People who are tired tend to be careless,
and may be more concerned about getting out of the cave
than taking care of it.
W: Anything interesting or thrilling in the cave?
M: There are formations in La Chagire
that look like ocean waves, Christmas trees
and other stuff no one has ever seen before.
W: Caves are normally created by carbonic acid, right?
M: But this cave sculpted out by very powerful sulfuric acid
that swells up from below.
Questions22 to 25 are based on the conversation
you have just heard.
22. Why was the lecturer especially excited about
visiting La Chagire cave?
23. What did the speaker say about
the entrance into the cave?
24. What did the speaker say about the cavers who get tired?
25. What makes the formations of La Chagire so unusual?
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 centre.
Passage One
I had flown from San Francisco to Virginia to
attend a conference on multiculturalism.
Hundreds of educators from across the country
were meeting to discuss the need for greater cultural diversity
in the school curriculum.
I took a taxi to my hotel. On the way,
my driver and I chatted about the weather and the tourists.
The driver was a white man in his forties.
“How long have you been in this country?” he asked.
“All my life!” I replied, “I was born in the United States.”
With a strong southern accent, he remarked,
“I was wondering because your English is excellent.”
Then I explained as I had done many times before.
“My grandfather came here from China in the 1880s.
My family has been here in America for over a hundred years. ”
He glanced at me in the mirror.
Somehow, I did not look American to him.
My appearance looked foreign. Questions like the one my taxi driver
asked make me feel uncomfortable.
But I can understand why he could not see me as an American.
He had a narrow but widely shared sense of the past:
a history that has viewed Americans as descendants of Europeans.
Race has functioned as something necessary
to the construction of American character and quality.
In the creation of our national identity—
American has been defined as white.
But America has been racially diverse
since our very beginning on the Virginian shore,
where the first group of Englishmen
and Africans arrived in the 17th century.
And this reality is increasingly becoming visible everywhere.
Questions 26 to 28 are based on the passage you have just heard.
26. What was the theme of the conference the speaker was to attend?
27. Why did the taxi driver ask the speaker
how long he had been in the US?
28. What message does the speaker wish to convey?
Passage Two
Laws have been written to govern the use of
the American national flag,
and to ensure proper respect for the flag.
Custom has also governed the common practice in
regard to its use. All the armed services
have precise regulations on
how to display the national flag.
This may vary somewhat from the general rules.
The national flag should be raised and lowered by hand.
Do not raise the flag while it is folded.
Unfold the flag first,
and then hoist it quickly to the top of the flagpole.
Lower it slowly and with dignity.
Place no objects on or over the flag.
Do not use the flag as part of a costume or athletic uniform.
Do not print it upon cushions, handkerchiefs,
paper napkins or boxes. A federal law provides that
a trademark cannot be registered if it comprises the flag,
coat of arms or badges of the United States.
When the flag is used in unveiling a statue or monument,
it shouldn't serve as a covering of
the object to be unveiled.
If it is displayed on such occasions,
do not allow the flag to fall to the ground,
but let it be carried high up in the air to
form a feature of the ceremony.
Take every precaution to prevent the flag from becoming soiled.
It should not be allowed to touch the ground or floor,
nor to brush against objects.
Questions 29 to 32 are based on the passage you have just heard.
29. How do Americans ensure proper respect for the national flag?
30. What is the regulation regarding the raising of
the American national flag?
31. How should the American national flag
be displayed at an unveiling ceremony?
32. What do we learn about the use of the American national flag?
Passage Three
In some large American city schools,
as many as 20-40% of the students are absent each day.
There are two major reasons for such absences:
one is sickness, and the other is truancy, that is ,
staying away from school without permission.
Since school officials can't do much about illness,
they are concentrating on reducing the number of truants.
One of the most promising schemes has been tried in Florida.
The pupils there with good attendance
have been given free hamburgers, toys and T-shirts.
Classes are told that if they show improved rates of attendance,
they can win additional gifts.
At the same time, teachers are being encouraged to
inspire their students to come to school regularly.
When those teachers are successful, they are also rewarded.
“We've been punishing truants for years,
but that hasn't brought them back to school, ”
one school principal said.
“Now we are trying the positive approach.
Not only do you learn by showing up every day,
but you earn. ”In San Francisco,
the Board of Education has had a somewhat similar idea.
Schools that show a decrease in deliberate destruction of property
can receive the amount of money
that would've been spent on repairs and replacements.
For example, 12 000 dollars had been set aside for
a school's property damages every year.
Since repair expenses of damaged property
required only 4 000 dollars,
the remaining 8 000 dollars was turned over
to the Student Activities' Fund.
“Our democracy operates on hope and encouragement,”
said a school board member.
“Why not provide some positive goals for students
and teachers to aim at?”
Questions 33 to 35 are based on the passage you have just heard.
33. Which reason for students' absences is discussed in great detail?
34. Who will benefit from the scheme being tried in Florida?
35. What measure has been taken in San Francisco to
reduce destruction of school property?
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 from 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.
Natural resources provide a living and shelter
for hundreds of millions of people in the developing world.
As those life supporting natural resources come
under threat so does the personal security of millions
who rely on them. Climate change,
water shortage and population growth
are some of the most powerful and least
understood environmental hazards.
Using the subjects of water, climate, land,
forests and minerals, the exhibition demonstrates
not only the ways in which environmental deterioration
can lead to conflicts and new security threats,
but also how environmental cooperation
can contribute to security and stability.
The exhibit, assembled by Adelphi Research,
focuses on how man-made environmental changes
affect both foreign and domestic policy.
“It draws a direct connection between natural resources,
poverty and stability in various parts of the world,”
Adelphi Research Director Alexander Carius explained.
In addition, the exhibition displays the link
between environment and security in Central Asia,
the area of the southern provinces of the former Soviet Union.
The exhibition also shows that the sustainable use of
natural resources across national borders
can contribute to conflict prevention and confidence building.
Speakers at the exhibition predict that climate change
will alter our lives. Great climate pattern changes
will alter available water resources,
as well as the availability of usable agricultural land.
A number of extreme weather events may render cities
and tidal regions uninhabitable, resulting in mass migration.
They believe that the traditional patterns of our lifestyle
must change and that we have to accept
that we live in a global village dependent on each other.
Now the passage will be read again.
Natural resources provide a living and shelter
for hundreds of millions of people in the developing world.
As those life supporting natural resources come under threat
so does the personal security of millions who rely on them.
Climate change, water shortage and population growth
are some of the most powerful
and least understood environmental hazards.
Using the subjects of water, climate, land, forests and minerals,
the exhibition demonstrates not only the ways
in which environmental deterioration
can lead to conflicts and new security threats,
but also how environmental cooperation
can contribute to security and stability.
The exhibit, assembled by Adelphi Research,
focuses on how man-made environmental changes
affect both foreign and domestic policy.
“It draws a direct connection between natural resources,
poverty and stability in various parts of the world,”
Adelphi Research Director Alexander Carius explained.
In addition, the exhibition displays the link
between environment and security in Central Asia,
the area of the southern provinces of the former Soviet Union.
The exhibition also shows that the sustainable use of
natural resources across national borders
can contribute to conflict prevention and confidence building.
Speakers at the exhibition predict that climate change
will alter our lives. Great climate pattern changes
will alter available water resources,
as well as the availability of usable agricultural land.
A number of extreme weather events may render cities
and tidal regions uninhabitable, resulting in mass migration.
They believe that the traditional patterns of our lifestyle
must change and that we have to accept that
we live in a global village dependent on each other.
Now the passage will be read for the third time.
Natural resources provide a living and shelter
for hundreds of millions of people in the developing world.
As those life supporting natural resources come under threat
so does the personal security of millions who rely on them.
Climate change, water shortage and population growth
are some of the most powerful
and least understood environmental hazards.
Using the subjects of water, climate, land, forests and minerals,
the exhibition demonstrates not only the ways
in which environmental deterioration
can lead to conflicts and new security threats,
but also how environmental cooperation
can contribute to security and stability.
The exhibit, assembled by Adelphi Research,
focuses on how man-made environmental changes
affect both foreign and domestic policy.
“It draws a direct connection between natural resources,
poverty and stability in various parts of the world,”
Adelphi Research Director Alexander Carius explained.
In addition, the exhibition displays the link
between environment and security in Central Asia,
the area of the southern provinces of the former Soviet Union.
The exhibition also shows that the sustainable use of
natural resources across national borders
can contribute to conflict prevention and confidence building.
Speakers at the exhibition predict that climate change
will alter our lives. Great climate pattern changes
will alter available water resources,
as well as the availability of usable agricultural land.
A number of extreme weather events may render cities
and tidal regions uninhabitable, resulting in mass migration.
They believe that the traditional patterns of our lifestyle
must change and that we have to accept that
we live in a global village dependent on each other.
This is the end of listening comprehension.