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Part B: Listening Comprehension
Directions: In this part of the test there will be some short talks and conversations. After each one, you will be asked some questions. The talks, conversations and questions will be spoken ONLY ONCE. Now listen carefully and choose the right answer to each question you have heard and write the letter of the answer you have chosen in the corresponding space in your ANSWER BOOKLET.
Questions 1 to 5 are based on the following conversation.
W: Hi, Robert, you are 20 now, right?
Robert: Right.
W: What do you think about what Nina said?
Robert: I definitely agree that younger people are less intimidated by technology. But when I compare myself with other people my age, I don' t see myself as particularly good with computers. Most of my friends are much better with computers than I am. But this summer, I worked in an office with lots of adults, and I realized that I am a lot more comfortable with technology than they are.
W: Do you use e-mail a lot?
Robert: Well, I do agree that letters make better keep-seeks, but e-mails are just so much more convenient. For example, I'm away at college now, and I don't know how I could keep in touch with my high school friends without e-mail. I like e-mail, because it's such a casual form of communication. It's great for just saying “hello” and checking upon people. For more standard interaction, I still use the phone a lot, but for just telling people that you thought of them that day or that you missed them, e-mail is great.
W: How often would you say that you e-mail people?
Robert : Well, I check my e-mail at least 5 times a day. I would estimate, actually probably a bit more. I also have “IM”, that is, instant messaging, configure to that it loads the program automatically whenever it turn on my computer, so I am on that a lot as well. It definitely makes you spend more time on the computer than you meant to. Sometimes I just turn on my computer to check on one little thing. And all of a sudden, three people send the instant messages, and I talk to them for half an hour. But it's not a waste of time, because I love to hear from my friends.
W: So young people are better with computers than the adults?
Robert: I don't know if kids are really better with computers or just more used to them. Computers can definitely be intimidating, especially when they go wrong. For people who are familiar with them, I think a typical response is to use them as little as possible. My dad is like that. But once you get over you initial fear or just fiddling around with them and testing things out, it becomes a lot more fun, and it's really not difficult.
W: What about your friends?
Robert: Well, I guess my generation is hooked on the internet but people don't make it their whole life. It's just one other thing they like to do. It really opens up a lot of doors, the internet, it makes lots of things accessible. My college now is a pretty web-based school. At first, I was a little bit surprised at how much the internet was used. Like for example, all of my syllabi for my classes are on line.
W: Do you think the internet has any disadvantages?
Robert: Well, something that is bad about the internet is that not everyone has access to it. I feel like when my generation is grown up and part of the workforce, computer skills are just going to be assumed. They won't be an added asset that I think that they are today. So what will happen to the people of my generation who don't have these computer skills, you know? They are really going to be added disadvantage. So I think the internet could increase these disparities between different classes, which is horrible or maybe technology just illuminates existing disparities in a different way. I'm not sure. In my own life, though I love having the internet. I don't know what I do without it.
Question1. Which of the following statements does Robert definitely agree with?
Question2. Robert explains why he uses e-mail a lot, which of the following is not one of his reasons?
Question3. What makes Robert spend a lot of time on the computer?
Question4. What does Robert think is bad about the internet?
Question5. According to Robert, what will happen to people in his generation who don't have these computer skills?
