[00:12.42]College English Test Band 4
[00:15.81]Part Ⅲ Listening Comprehension
[00:19.53]Section A
[00:22.59]Directions: In this section,
[00:26.86]you will hear 8 short conversations
[00:30.68]and 2 long conversations.
[00:33.09]At the end of each conversation,
[00:35.71]one or more questions will be asked
[00:38.88]about what was said.
[00:40.75]Both the conversation and the questions
[00:44.25]will be spoken only once.
[00:46.55]After each question there will be a pause.
[00:50.26]During the pause, you must read the four choices
[00:55.07]marked A), B), C) and D),
[00:59.33]and decide which is the best answer.
[01:02.40]Then mark the corresponding letter
[01:05.67]on Answer Sheet 2 with a single line through the centre.
[01:10.93]Now, let's begin with the eight short conversations.
[01:16.73]11. M: What was it like working with those young stars?
[01:24.95]W: It was a great group. I always got mad
[01:28.88]when people said that we didn't get along,
[01:31.40]just because we're girls. There was never a fight.
[01:34.79]We had a great time.
[01:37.63]Q: What does the woman mean?
[01:53.65]12. M: Are you telling me you don't have a housekeeper?
[02:00.32]W: No, we don't.
[02:01.85]If you make a mess, you clean up yourself.
[02:04.69]Q: What do we learn from this conversation?
[02:23.52]13. W: I hear that the Edwards are
[02:28.44]thinking of buying another house.
[02:30.51]M: Should they be doing that with all the other expenses
[02:33.58]they have to pay? Anyhow, they are over 70 now,
[02:37.84]their present house is not too bad.
[02:40.58]Q: What does the man imply?
[02:57.34]14. M: You look like you are freezing to death.
[03:04.33]Why don't you put this on?
[03:06.19]W: Thank you, it was so warm at noon,
[03:09.36]I didn't expect the weather to change so quickly.
[03:11.99]Q: What do we learn from the conversation?
[03:31.25]15. M: I'll have the steak, French fries,
[03:37.70]and let's see, chocolate ice cream for dissert.
[03:42.29]W: Oh, oh, you know these things will ruin your health,
[03:46.01]too much fat and sugar.
[03:48.31]How about ordering some vegetables and fruit instead?
[03:51.15]Q: Where did the conversation most probably take place?
[04:11.31]16. M: What was it like growing up
[04:15.79]in New York's Bronx District? Was it safe?
[04:19.29]W: To me it was. It was all I knew.
[04:23.13]My mom would send me to the shop
[04:25.75]and I'd go and buy things
[04:27.28]when I was about 8 years old.
[04:29.58]Q: What do we learn from the conversation?
[04:48.40]17. M: Nice weather, isn't it?
[04:52.34]Oh, I've seen you around the office,
[04:55.95]but I don't think we've met. I am Henry Smith.
[04:59.99]I work in the Market Research Section.
[05:02.62]W: Nice to meet you, Henry. I am Helen Grant.
[05:05.57]I am in the Advertising Section on the ninth floor.
[05:09.18]Q: What can we infer from the conversation?
[05:27.79]18. M: Ma'am, I hear you have an apartment for rent,
[05:35.22]can I take a look at it?
[05:37.33]W: Sure, you're welcome any time by appointment,
[05:40.34]but I have to tell you the building is close to a railway.
[05:43.92]And if you can't put up with the noise.
[05:46.48]You might as well save the trip.
[05:49.55]Q: What do we learn from the conversation?
[06:08.25]Now you'll hear the two long conversations.
[06:12.52]Conversation One
[06:14.92]W: Please have a seat, Mr. Saunders.
[06:18.20]I received your job resume last week,
[06:20.60]and it was very impressed.
[06:22.36]M: Thank you!
[06:23.89]W: We are a small financial company trading
[06:26.41]mostly stocks and bonds. May I ask
[06:29.36]why you are interested in working for us?
[06:31.65]M: Your company has an impressive reputation
[06:34.28]and I've always wanted to work for a smaller company.
[06:37.89]W: That's good to hear. Would you mind
[06:40.29]telling me a little bit about your present job?
[06:42.81]M: I'm currently working in
[06:44.67]a large international company
[06:46.42]in charge of a team of 8 brokers.
[06:48.93]We buy and sell stocks for major clients worldwide.
[06:53.41]W: Why do you think you are
[06:55.17]the right candidate for this position?
[06:57.57]M: As a head broker, I have a lot of experience
[07:00.96]in the stock market. I deal with the clients
[07:04.02]on the daily bases, and I enjoy working with people.
[07:07.30]W: Well, you might just be the person
[07:09.93]we've been looking for. Do you have any questions?
[07:12.77]M: Aha, if I were hired,
[07:15.39]how many accounts would I be handling?
[07:18.13]W: You will be working with two other head brokers.
[07:21.19]In another words, you will be handling
[07:23.60]about a third of our clients.
[07:26.33]M: And who would I report to?
[07:28.19]W: Directly to me.
[07:29.39]M: I see. What kind of benefits package do you offer?
[07:32.68]W: Two weeks of paid vacation in your first year employment,
[07:37.38]you will also be entitled to medical and dental insurance,
[07:41.64]but this is something you should discuss
[07:44.01]with our Personnel Department.
[07:45.87]Do you have any other questions?
[07:47.53]M: No, not at the moment.
[07:49.28]W: Well, I have to discuss your application
[07:51.92]with my colleagues and
[07:53.45]we'll get back to you early next week.
[07:55.76]M: OK, thanks, it's been nice meeting you!
[07:58.49]W: Nice meeting you too!
[08:00.71]And thanks for coming in today.
[08:02.46]Questions 19 to 21 are based on the conversation
[08:08.08]you have just heard.
[08:09.82]19. What's the purpose of Mr. Saunders' visit?
[08:33.16]20. What is Mr. Saunders' current job?
[08:52.85]21. What can we conclude from the conversation?
[09:14.72]Conversation Two
[09:16.58]M: Hey, Karen, you are not really reading it, are you?
[09:20.08]W: Pardon?
[09:21.61]M: The book! You haven't turned the page
[09:23.90]in the last ten minutes.
[09:25.55]W: No, Jim, I suppose I haven't.
[09:27.95]I need to get through it, though,
[09:29.81]but I keep drifting away.
[09:31.34]M: So it doesn't really hold your interest?
[09:34.62]W: No, not really. I wouldn't bother with it,
[09:38.23]to be honest, but I have to read it for a seminar.
[09:41.07]I'm at a university.
[09:43.04]M:It's a labor of labor then
[09:45.01]rather than a labor of love.
[09:46.65]W: I should say, I don't like Dickens at all really,
[09:50.26]the author, indeed,
[09:52.56]I am starting to like the whole course less and less.
[09:55.94]M: It's not just the book, it's the course as well?
[09:59.34]W: Yeah, in a way, although the course itself
[10:03.28]isn't really that bad, a lot of it is pretty good,
[10:06.99]in fact, and the lecturer is fine. It's me,
[10:10.38]I suppose. You see, I want to do philosophy
[10:13.88]rather than English, but my parents took me out of it.
[10:17.82]M: So the courses are OK as such,
[10:21.54]it's just that had if been left to you,
[10:23.50]you would have chosen a different one.
[10:25.47]W: Oh, they had my best interest at heart,
[10:29.52]of course, my parents. They always do, don't they?
[10:33.02]They believe that my job prospect
[10:35.86]would be pretty limited with the degree of philosophy.
[10:38.81]Plus, they give me a really generous allowance,
[10:42.21]but I am beginning to feel that
[10:44.61]I'm wasting my time and their money.
[10:47.02]They would be so disappointed though
[10:49.53]if I told them I was quitting.
[10:51.83]Questions 22 to 25 are based on the conversation
[10:58.06]you have just heard.
[10:59.70]22. Why can't Karen concentrate on the book?
[11:22.25]23. Why is Karen starting to like the course less and less?
[11:43.37]24. Who thinks Philosophy graduates
[11:47.42]have limited job opportunities?
[12:04.71]25. What is Karen thinking of doing?
[12:24.50]Section B
[12:26.47]Directions: In this section,
[12:29.32]you will hear 3 short passages.
[12:32.05]At the end of each passage,
[12:34.02]you will hear some questions.
[12:35.88]Both the passage and the questions
[12:38.61]will be spoken only once.
[12:41.24]After you hear a question,
[12:42.77]you must choose the best answer from the four choices
[12:46.38]marked A), B), C) and D).
[12:51.30]Then mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 2
[12:56.11]with a single line through the centre.
[12:59.83]Passage One
[13:01.46]In Greece, only rich people will rest
[13:05.30]in peace for ever when they die.
[13:07.39]Most of the population, however,
[13:10.02]will be undisturbed for only three years.
[13:13.30]Then they will be dug up, washed,
[13:15.48]compressed into a small tin box,
[13:18.87]and placed in a bone room.
[13:21.28]If the body has only partially decayed,
[13:24.12]it is reburied in a smaller cheaper grave,
[13:27.51]but not for long,
[13:29.04]the body will be dug up again some time later
[13:32.21]when it has fully decayed.
[13:34.62]Buying a piece of land for a grave is the only way
[13:38.44]to avoid this process. The cost of the grave is
[13:42.71]so great that most people choose to
[13:45.88]rent a grave for three years and even after being dug up,
[13:50.37]lasting peace is still not guaranteed.
[13:53.54]If no one pays for renting space in the bone room,
[13:57.80]the skeleton is removed and stored in a building
[14:00.99]in a poor part of the town. Lack of space is Athens
[14:05.45]is the main reason why the dead are dug up after three years.
[14:09.94]The city is so overcrowded that
[14:13.98]sometimes dead bodies are kept in hospitals
[14:17.48]for over a week until a grave is found.
[14:20.21]Athens' city council wants to introduce cremation,
[14:24.59]that is burning dead bodies as a means of
[14:27.98]dealing with the problem.
[14:29.51]But the Greek church resists this practice,
[14:34.32]they believe the only place where people burn is hell,
[14:37.89]so burning dead bodies is
[14:40.30]against the Greek concept of life after death.
[14:43.25]To save space, the church suggested
[14:47.18]burying the bodies standing up instead of lying down.
[14:50.90]Some people proposed building
[14:53.63]multi-storey underground grave yards.
[15:01.36]Questions 26 to 29 are based on the passage
[15:05.63]you have just heard.
[15:08.69]26. What must Greeks do to
[15:11.53]keep the dead resting in everlasting peace?
[15:29.32]27. Why are most dead bodies
[15:32.59]in Athens dug up after three years?
[15:49.55]28. What suggestions does the church
[15:53.28]give about the burying of dead bodies?
[16:10.40]29. What practice does the Greek church object to?
[16:29.33]Passage Two
[16:30.64]If you visit a big city anywhere in the world,
[16:34.48]you will probably find a restaurant
[16:36.77]would serve the food of your own native country.
[16:39.61]Most large cities in the United States
[16:42.89]offer international sample of foods.
[16:46.06]Many people enjoy eating the food of other nations.
[16:50.22]This is probably one reason why there are
[16:53.28]so many different kinds of restaurants in the United States.
[16:56.89]The second reason is that many Americans
[17:00.72]come from other parts of the world.
[17:03.34]They enjoy tasting the foods of their native lands.
[17:06.73]In the city of Detroit, for example,
[17:09.69]there are many people from western Europe,
[17:12.86]Greece, Latin America, and the Far East.
[17:16.90]There are many restaurants in Detroit
[17:18.98]which serve the foods of these areas.
[17:21.61]There are many other international restaurants too.
[17:25.00]Americans enjoy the foods in these restaurants
[17:28.72]as well as the opportunity to better understand
[17:31.45]the people and their way of life.
[17:33.85]One of the most common international restaurants
[17:37.57]to be found in the United States is the Italian restaurant.
[17:41.84]The restaurant may be a small business run by a single family.
[17:45.67]The mother of the family cooks all of the dishes,
[17:48.84]and the father and children serve the people
[17:51.79]who come to eat there. Or it may be a large restaurant
[17:55.51]owned by several different people
[17:57.92]who worked together in the business.
[18:00.32]Many Italian dishes that Americans
[18:03.05]enjoy are made with meats, tomatoes and cheese,
[18:06.77]they are very delicious and tasty.
[18:10.27]Questions 30 to 32 are based on the passage
[18:15.30]you have just heard.
[18:17.38]30. Why are there so many international restaurants
[18:22.41]in the United States?
[18:38.75]31. Why do Americans like to go to
[18:42.88]international restaurants apart from
[18:45.50]enjoying the foods there?
[19:01.91]32. How is a typical Italian family restaurant
[19:06.83]run in the United States?
[19:21.84]Passage Three
[19:23.16]One winter day in 1891,
[19:26.22]a class at a training school in Massachusetts,
[19:29.72]U.S.A, went into the gym for their daily exercises.
[19:33.44]Since the football season had ended,
[19:36.61]most of the young man felt they were in for a boring time.
[19:40.54]But their teacher, James Naismith had other ideas.
[19:45.13]He had been working for a long time on a new game
[19:48.85]that would have the excitement of the American football.
[19:52.13]Naismith showed the men a basket he had hung
[19:56.40]at the each end of the gym, and explained
[19:59.46]that they were going to use a round European football,
[20:03.18]at first everybody tried to throw the ball
[20:06.46]into the basket no matter where he was standing.
[20:09.42]“Pass! Pass!” Naismith kept shouting,
[20:13.35]blowing his whistle to stop the excited players.
[20:17.29]Slowly, they began to understand what was wanted of them.
[20:22.21]The problem with the new game,
[20:24.94]which was soon called “basketball”,
[20:27.90]was getting the ball out of the basket.
[20:30.30]They used ordinary food baskets with bottoms and the ball,
[20:35.01]of course, stayed inside. At first,
[20:38.72]someone had to climb up every time a basket was scored.
[20:42.88]It was several years before someone
[20:45.72]came up with the idea of removing the bottom of the basket
[20:49.66]and letting the ball fall through.
[20:52.17]There have been many changes in the rules since then,
[20:55.67]and basketball has become
[20:57.86]one of the world's most popular sports.
[21:00.92]Questions 33 to 35 are based on the passage
[21:05.08]you have just heard.
[21:07.60]33. What did Naismith do to
[21:10.87]entertain his students one winter day?
[21:27.99]34. According to the speaker,
[21:31.05]what was the problem with the new game?
[21:47.26]35. How was the problem with the new game solved?
[22:06.22]Section C
[22:07.73]Directions: In this section,
[22:10.82]you will hear a passage three times.
[22:14.09]When the passage is read for the first time,
[22:16.62]you should listen carefully for its general idea.
[22:20.15]When the passage is read for the second time,
[22:22.68]you are required to fill in the blanks
[22:24.75]numbered from 36 to 43 with the exact words
[22:29.33]you have just heard. For blanks
[22:32.23]numbered from 44 to 46 you are required to
[22:36.33]fill in the missing information.
[22:39.55]For these blanks, you can either use the exact words
[22:42.95]you have just heard or
[22:44.64]write down the main points in your own words.
[22:48.97]Finally, when the passage is read for the third time,
[22:52.57]you should check what you have written.
[22:56.21]Now listen to the passage.
[22:59.54]For Americans, time is money.
[23:02.39]They say, “You only get so much time in this life;
[23:05.98]you'd better use it wisely. ”
[23:08.38]The future will not be better than the past or present,
[23:11.75]as Americans are trained to see things
[23:15.11]unless people use their time for constructive activities.
[23:19.88]Thus, Americans admire a “ well-organized ” person,
[23:24.26]one who has a written list of things to do
[23:27.50]and a schedule for doing them.
[23:30.12]The ideal person is punctual
[23:32.42]and is considerate of other people's time.
[23:35.83]They do not waste people's time with conversation
[23:39.23]or other activity that has no visible beneficial outcome.
[23:44.90]The American attitude toward time
[23:46.97]is not necessarily shared by others,
[23:50.14]especially non-Europeans.
[23:52.83]They are more likely to regard time as something that
[23:56.03]is simply there around them,
[23:58.64]not something they can use.
[24:01.23]One of the more difficult things many students
[24:03.83]must adjust to in the States is the notion
[24:07.54]that time must be saved whenever possible
[24:10.70]and used wisely every day.
[24:14.14]In this context the fast food industry
[24:17.43]can be seen as a clear example of
[24:20.69]American cultural product. McDonald's, KFC,
[24:25.45]and other fast food establishments are successful
[24:29.31]in a country where many people want to
[24:32.22]spend the least amount of time preparing
[24:34.88]and eating meals. As McDonald's restaurants
[24:39.35]spread around the world, they have been viewed
[24:42.74]as symbols of American society and culture,
[24:47.07]bringing not just hamburgers but an emphasis on speed,
[24:52.05]efficiency, and shiny cleanliness.
[24:57.45]Now the passage will be read again.
[25:01.69]For Americans, time is money.
[25:04.78]They say, “You only get so much time in this life;
[25:08.22]you'd better use it wisely. ”
[25:10.69]The future will not be better than the past or present,
[25:14.34]as Americans are trained to see things
[25:17.19]unless people use their time for constructive activities.
[25:21.71]Thus, Americans admire a “ well-organized ” person,
[25:26.22]one who has a written list of things to do
[25:29.35]and a schedule for doing them.
[25:32.63]The ideal person is punctual
[25:34.54]and is considerate of other people's time.
[25:37.89]They do not waste people's time with conversation
[25:41.14]or other activity that has no visible beneficial outcome.
[25:47.32]The American attitude toward time
[25:49.39]is not necessarily shared by others,
[25:52.39]especially non-Europeans.
[25:55.03]They are more likely to regard time as something that
[25:58.34]is simply there around them,
[26:00.87]not something they can use.
[26:56.33]One of the more difficult things many students
[26:58.58]must adjust to in the States is the notion
[27:01.71]that time must be saved whenever possible
[27:04.96]and used wisely every day.
[27:08.55]In this context the fast food industry
[27:11.82]can be seen as a clear example of
[27:14.60]American cultural product.
[28:07.48]McDonald's, KFC, and other fast food establishments
[28:12.00]are successful in a country where many people
[28:14.86]want to spend the least amount of time
[28:17.42]preparing and eating meals.
[28:20.43]As McDonald's restaurants spread around the world,
[28:24.08]they have been viewed as symbols of
[28:26.44]American society and culture,
[29:26.95]bringing not just hamburgers but an emphasis on speed,
[29:31.37]efficiency, and shiny cleanliness.
[29:36.46]Now the passage will be read for the third time.
[29:40.90]For Americans, time is money.
[29:43.79]They say, “You only get so much time in this life;
[29:47.22]you'd better use it wisely. ”
[29:49.88]The future will not be better than the past or present,
[29:53.23]as Americans are trained to see things
[29:56.62]unless people use their time for constructive activities.
[30:01.35]Thus, Americans admire a “ well-organized ” person,
[30:05.76]one who has a written list of things to do
[30:08.98]and a schedule for doing them.
[30:11.65]The ideal person is punctual
[30:13.88]and is considerate of other people's time.
[30:17.33]They do not waste people's time with conversation
[30:20.66]or other activity that has no visible beneficial outcome.
[30:26.36]The American attitude toward time
[30:28.43]is not necessarily shared by others,
[30:31.54]especially non-Europeans. They are more likely to
[30:35.45]regard time as something that is simply there around them,
[30:40.14]not something they can use.
[30:42.87]One of the more difficult things many students
[30:45.39]must adjust to in the States is the notion that time
[30:49.64]must be saved whenever possible and used wisely every day.
[30:55.80]In this context the fast food industry
[30:59.16]can be seen as a clear example of American cultural product.
[31:05.16]McDonald's, KFC, and other fast food establishments
[31:10.17]are successful in a country where many people
[31:13.14]want to spend the least amount of time
[31:15.62]preparing and eating meals. As McDonald's restaurants
[31:20.85]spread around the world,
[31:22.97]they have been viewed as symbols of
[31:25.46]American society and culture,
[31:28.57]bringing not just hamburgers but an emphasis on speed,
[31:33.58]efficiency, and shiny cleanliness.
[31:38.97]This is the end of listening comprehension.
