English Weekly CET-4 Listening Practice Test 21
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。
11. W: May I help you?
M: The sleeves on this jacket are too long. Can you make them shorter?
Q: What is the job of the woman?
12. M: Mr. Smith bought some paper, paints and brushes today。
W: Yes, he needs them for his students at the middle school。
Q: What does Mr. Smith probably do at school?
13. W: Look at the note left on the table from the landlord。
M: What? We cant afford another twenty dollars a month。
Q: What will the landlord probably do next?
14. M: Tom can get enough votes to win the election, cant he?
W: Well, if he gets the Asian, the African American, and the Native American special interest groups on his side, he cant lose, can he?
Q: What is the woman saying?
15. W: This looks like the right size tennis racket, doesnt it? Try a few. I am going to look at the golf clubs。
M: Youll come back and help me with this, wont you?
Q: Where does this conversation take place?
16. M: Whats your understanding of creativity?
W: Let me illustrate my point. Grandma Moses never had an art lesson, yet her paintings are displayed in the galleries。
Q: What does the woman mean?
17. M: Tom got a new job again. This was his fifth job this year。
W: Its difficult to keep a young man in one job for life nowadays。
Q: What does the woman mean?
18. M: Where are you living now? In the same house in New York?
W: No, we moved to Washington about two months ago, because John got a new job. Were living in a small flat while we try to find a house。
Q: Why did the woman move to Washington?
Now youll hear two long conversations。
W: Do you travel a lot around the world?
M: Quite a lot. Yes. Ive been to many places in the world。
W: Oh, that must be quite an experience。
M: Well, in some places I feel, I suppose, somewhat uneasy, but I havent lately。
W: Youve just returned from Africa?
M: Yes, I was in Africa recently。
W: Which countries did you visit?
M: I was in Zimbabwe and Zambia and South Africa。
W: There are quite a few people who are crazy about Africa。
M: I know, but I dont feel that way at all. But I was very happy there。
W: But some of the places in Africa, they must be --- they must be very different。
M: I know whats on your mind. Right. Some Africa cities can be a little horrible. There are places that I avoid. I dont like cities generally not because I feel threatened but because I feel confined。
W: You mean you find cities unsatisfying?
M: I like being at a street level and looking out to watch the sun set. The idea of a sun setting behind a lot of buildings is what I find unsatisfying. Why should it set just behind a lot of concrete? There is still some sunshine there. I think thats why I avoid cities.
Questions 19 to 22 are based on the conversation you have just heard。
19. Why does the man feel uneasy while he is traveling?
20. Which of the countries didnt he visit on his last trip to Africa?
21. What did he feel when he was in Africa?
22. Why did he find cities unsatisfying?
Conversation Two
W: Are there people you feel that you just cant reason with?
M: Sure. But fortunately they are few and far in between。
W: What are some of the basic techniques of communicating effectively with people that you need to work with but dont particularly like?
M: Thats a good question. One of my favorite examples is a guy I used to work with who had a strong opinion about everything. And he stated it very forcefully。
W: You obviously didnt like it。
M: No, and it was very different from mine, but I learned to get along with him because I realized that he was fundamentally very insecure。
W: So what did you do to change the situation?
M: I tried to get along with him, telling him stories about myself that showed my own mistakes. That helped him to get past his insecurity and involve me in more honest and open communication。
W: What kind of people do you have difficulty working with?
M: Im naturally a person who likes to get things done. So I get impatient sometimes when Im working with a large group. It takes time for everyones voice to be heard and for everyones opinion to be tried. Yet I know that process is vital if they are going to make the ultimate decision。
Questions 23 to 25 are based on the conversation you have just heard。
23. What is true according to the conversation?
24. How does the man deal with people who are insecure?
25. What kind of person is the man in the conversation?
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
You can find it orbiting Earth, floating in space, or sitting on Venus, Mars, and the Moon. No, its not a space---its space trash! Space trash, often called space debris, is any man-made object that no longer serves a useful purpose. More than 4,000 satellites have been launched into space since 1957. All that activity has led to large amounts of space trash。
Nicholas Johnson, a chief NASA scientist and program manager for orbital debris, monitors more than 1,300 objects that are at least three to four inches wide. Of those objects, only 600 to 700 are still in use. The oldest piece of space trash is Vanguard 1, the second satellite that the United States launched. Vanguard 1 has been in space since March 1958。
Space trash moves very quickly. According to Johnson, speeds may reach 18,000 miles an hour. Because the trash moves so quickly, even very small pieces can cause damage. Today the trash causes only minor damage to satellites. Thats largely because of measures that NASA and other countries space programs have taken. For example, making sure that no fuel is left on satellites limits the amount of explosions that can send trash hurtling through space。
Questions 26 to 28 are based on the passage you have just heard。
26. What is space trash?
27. According to a chief NASA scientist, how many man-made objects that are at least three inches wide are there in the space, which are no longer in use?
28. Why is space trash dangerous?
Passage Two
People all over the world have begun to realize the countless possibilities of a new freedom: Leisure. This is especially true in countries with a highly-developed technology. Modern technology, automation, shorter working days, long weekends, earlier retirement, and better health have given people much more free time than they have ever had before. Modern agricultural equipment has liberated the farmer from long hours of hard labor; automation has had a revolutionary effect on business and industry; and modern household appliances have freed women from many tiresome and time-consuming chores. Only students have not gained leisure time in this day and age. They have to study longer and harder than ever before in order to keep up with our rapidly changing world and prepare them for the future. But then, the life of a student has always been, and probably always will be, one of much effort and little free time。
In the early days of American history, the value of work was a dominant concept in the American way of life. Now, almost everyone recognizes the necessity and value of relaxation and recreation. People are supposed to work in order to support themselves and their families and to contribute to society. However, they also enjoy many other activities and profit from them。
Questions 29 to 31 are based on the passage you have just heard。
29. What have people all over the world begun to recognize?
30. Who has been liberated from long hours of hard work?
31. When was the value of work a major concept in American life?
Passage Three
Until recently, a tomato was just a tomato. But now scientists have begun to change the genes of plants in laboratories, so it is not as easy to know when tomatoes are pure tomatoes. That is true with many other vegetables and fruits。
Genetic engineering is the process of taking genes from one plant or animal and putting them into another plant or animal. Scientists use the process to increase the nutrients a food contains. However, this new genetic engineering technology has raised a lot of questions。
The United States Food and Drug Administration is responsible for deciding how foods must be described when they are sold. The FDA says people who buy human foods produced by new kinds of plants must be told if there are any safety problems. It also says people must be told what nutrients the foods contain。
There are, however, times when more information about a new food product would be helpful. Some foods are not a safety threat, but do affect people in unusual ways. After eating the food, they may develop red spots on their skin, or have trouble breathing or have a sick stomach。
Questions 32 to 35 are based on the passage you have just heard。
32. What is the best title of the passage?
33. What is the FDA responsible for?
34. What principle should people keep in mind when doing food shopping?
35. What does the passage mainly suggest?
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。
In many countries now seat belts are compulsory for the driver and the front seat passenger at least。
Most doctors believe that seat belts save people from being seriously hurt in a crash, but there are some people who still think it is more dangerous to wear a seat belt than not to wear one. They say that a seat belt may trap one in a car that is burning, or that has fallen into a river or the sea and is sinking, so that one is burnt to death or drowned。
But less than half of one percent of car accidents lead to fire or sinking, and in any case, a seat belt may easily save a person from being knocked unconscious in an accident, so that he or she is able to undo the seat belt immediately and get out of a car that is on fire or sinking。
Some people say that it is an attack on their freedom to force them to wear a seat belt. But even in a democracy there are a lot of things a person is denied the right to do though he or she wants to do them. How does this affect seat belts? In what way does it interfere with the rights of others if someone refuses to wear a seat belt? Well, common sense tells us that a driver without a seat belt has less control of a car if there is an accident. In that case, he or she is more likely to be a danger to others, who after all also have the right to be protected as mush as possible from accidents。
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