星火英语2008年6月版听力强攻第1课

Test One

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: I can’t understand why Bob isn’t here yet.

Do you think we should try to call him or go and look for him?

W:He's probably just got held up in traffic.

Let's give him a few more minutes.

Q: What are the speakers probably going to do?

12.M: Hi, Susan, have you decided where to live when you get married?

W:I’d like to live in the downtown area near my work.

But Nelson wants a house in the suburbs to save on expenses.

Q:Why does Susan want to live in the city?

13.M: I’d like to buy a copy of Professor Franklin’s book On American Culture.

W:I’m sorry. The book has been out of print for some time now.

Q:Where does the conversation most probably take place?

14.W: I’ve just locked my keys in my room. Now what should I do?

M:I can’t believe it, you are always so careless.

Anyhow, let’s calm down and try to figure things out.

Q:What does the man suggest?

15.W: Can you give us your e-mail address?

So we can get back to you as soon as possible.

M:I’ll send you an e-mail, so we don’t have to do the spelling on the phone, OK?

Q:What are the speakers doing?

16.W: Hi, George, could you give me a ride?

I want to buy some food for the picnic.

M:OK, I’m going home.

But I can drop you at the supermarket.

Q:What does the woman want to do?

17.W: My name is Helen Ware, W-A-R-E.

Can I get a class permit for biology?

M:Oh, no. Not now. Registration for students whose last names begin with “W doesn’t start until tomorrow.

Q:What does the man mean?

18.M: What was the weather like when you left New York last week?

W:It was very much like the weather here in Beijing.

So you needn’t take a lot of clothes if you don’t plan to stay there long.

Q:What do we learn from the conversation?

Now you’ll hear two long conversations.

Conversation One

W:Hello, Mary Smith here.

Could I speak to Mr. Brown, please?

M:Speaking.

W:Oh, it’s you, Andrew, is it?

I didn’t recognize your voice.

Sounds as if you’re miles away.

M:Oh, hello, Mary. Yes, the line isn’t very good.

I’ll speak a bit louder. Is that any better?

W:Yes, that’s much better now.

Andrew, it looks as if I won’t be able to keep the appointment we made.

M:That was to be Friday, wasn’t it?

W:Yes, I’m so sorry.

This visitor I was actually expecting last week had some kind of change in his schedule,

and now he’s rung me up to say the only day he can come is next Friday.

M:I see.

W:And the trouble is, as he’s over from Argentina,

I can’t very well put him off. Hope you understand.

M:Well, I suppose so.

W:But could we meet on Saturday?

Or would you prefer the beginning of next week?

M:Afraid I’m tied up at the weekend. And…let me just check.

Tuesday would be all right, I think.

W:Tuesday is O.K. for me too. Could you come here at 11:30 as we’d arranged?

I’ll show you round our place, we could lunch together and work out the terms of our contract in the afternoon.

How does that sound to you?

M:Yes, fine. I’ll write it down in my diary. That’s Tuesday, 12th December.

Right, I’ll be at your place at 11:30 then.

W:Thanks, Andrew. Hope I haven’t messed up your arrangements too much.

M:Oh no, these things happen, don’t they?

See you next Tuesday. And have a nice weekend.

W:Thanks. You, too.

Questions 19 to 22 are based on the conversation you have just heard.

19.What is the conversation mainly about?

20.Why doesn’t the woman recognize the man’s voice at the beginning?

21.Why doesn’t the woman keep the appointment?

22.What will the speakers do when they meet next week?

Conversation Two

M:Hello, Lily. Come on in. How’ve you been keeping recently?

W:Quite well. Thanks. How’s your project?

M:Great. I’m playing a consultancy role.

I’ve only been here in China for a month,

but already on very good terms with my colleagues in the Department of Computer Science.

Well, sit down, please.

W:Dr. Francis, I’ve got a chance to go to Cambridge in August.

I wonder if you could tell me something about Britain.

M:Certainly. Well, I was actually brought up in Scotland.

But I’m sure I can give you some useful tips. Now, what do you want to know?

W:Things like weather. What’s the temperature there?

M:The temperature in Cambridge is warmer than Scotland, around 25, because it’s down south.

W:That’s nice. Do you know it’s 34 here?

By the way, where do you think I should stay?

M:Well, you can, I suppose, stay in the college-owned flats,

which are often near where you have your classes, or even on the campus.

That would certainly be convenient.

W:Yes, it would.

M:But it can also be a disadvantage because you are, in a sense,

separated from ordinary society, and I think learning from society is a valuable experience.

W:So what’s the alternative?

M:Maybe finding an English host family. I know of a student Ali.

He told me that he had learnt a lot by staying with a British family.

W: Thanks. It’s quite a good idea.

Questions 23 to 25 are based on the conversation you have just heard.

23.What is Dr. Francis?

24.Where does Dr. Francis suggest Lily should stay in Cambridge?

25.What does the man mean when he mentions Ali?

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

Pamela Royal and her partner Edith Clark are the owners of the sea-view hotel in Brighton.

As much of their business is seasonal, they do a good deal of the work themselves.

In order to make a profit, it is necessary to keep down the cost of extra staff.

Although they’ve never made a fortune for the last ten years,

they have earned a reasonable living from the hotel.

They work extremely well together and each has her own duties.

In general, Pamela does the bookkeeping.

She is excellent with figures and seldom makes a mistake.

She also takes care of the decorations, particularly the flower arranging, which is her hobby.

Edith, on the other hand, makes all the staff arrangement, and when necessary, does the cooking.

She is a very patient woman. And if guests make complaints, she tries her best to solve their problems.

However, the two ladies do not do all the work themselves.

They usually employ college students to do the cleaning and washing-up.

Old Albert, who is a retired policeman,

goes in two hours a day to do the gardening and takes care of the swimming pool.

Both ladies are very popular.

They believe in having an informal relationship with the guests

and often make friends with the regular visitors.

Last month was their tenth anniversary in Brighton, and they had a dinner for their friends to celebrate.

Pamela gave a speech and everyone wished them lots of success for the future.

Questions 26 to 28 are based on the passage you have just heard.

26. How do Pamela and Edith manage to keep down the cost of the hotel?

27. What jobs in the hotel are given to the college students?

28. Why are the two ladies popular in the area?

Passage Two

Some people dream of being president of the United States,

some of becoming stars in a Hollywood movie,

and others of making millions of dollars overnight.

Could a dream like that come true in real life?

Well, it did happen to Peter Johnson. Peter was an auto mechanic.

One day, he walked into the Union Trust Bank in Waltermore and took ＄5,000 that did not belong to him.

The guards and other employees stood back and let him stuff the bills into his shirt and pants

without trying to prevent him from taking the money.

No one pressed the alarm. No one pulled the gun. No one called the police.

Why did they allow him to get away with it? Well, everything was legal.

Peter had won a contest promoted by a Waltermore radio station.

The first prize entitled him to enter the Union Trust Bank,

and gather up as much money as he could lay his hands on within five minutes.

Because he could not bring any large sacks or boxes into the bank,

all the money had to be placed in his pockets.

As the time went by, Peter ran about wildly and tried to pick up as many large bills as he could find.

When his time was up, he was out of breath, but was ＄5,000 richer.

Questions 29 to 32 are based on the passage you have just heard.

29. Why did Peter go to the Union Trust Bank?

30. What was Peter’s job?

31. What did the guards do when Peter started gathering the money?

32. Why didn’t Peter take more money from the bank?

Passage Three

Larry Smith is one of the rescuers on the Golden Gate Bridge.

His job is to save people who attempt to jump into the sea.

If the telephone rings at three in the morning, he knows it’s trouble.

Someone is threatening to commit suicide.

Larry will get his things ready and in no time he will be out of the door heading to the spot.

“If you aren’t too late, Larry says,

“you climb out onto the cold steel and try to talk to the poor soul and pull him or her back to safety.

Many suicide attempts are made on the spur of the moment and lives can be saved.

But if you fail, if the person jumps into the bottomless sea water,

there’s no describing how helpless you feel.

Often would-be jumpers are driven to despair and see no hope of getting out of their misery.

The trick is to open a channel of communication with them.

Following are some tricks that have worked.

“Hey, if you’re going to jump, at least give me your mom’s phone number.

So I can call and tell her.

“That’s a nice watch. If you’re going to jump, can I have it?

Sometimes all it takes is the voice of the human being you cares.

Larry estimates he has rescued about 30 people in his ten years of service.

Questions 33 to 35 are based on the passage you have just heard.

33. What is Larry’s job?

34. What is happening if Larry’s phone rings at 3 o’clock in the morning?

35. What does Larry Smith usually do to stop someone from jumping off the bridge?

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.

Some people say that if you want to go into the recording business,

“It’s not what you know, but who you know, that matters.

My first reaction to that is to disagree, but on second thought I must admit that there is some truth in it.

When you go for an interview for a job in a studio,

they will be interested in the qualifications you have on paper

but the really important thing will be that you can show you have had some useful experience.

If you don’t know anyone like that, look in the yellow pages for the list of studios in your area.

Go round to the ones that seem to be successful and ask them if they need extra help.

They will not want to employ you unless you have some previous experience,

so tell them that you will work there for nothing, that you are just interested in recording,

and that you are on the lookout for any job that comes up.

If they accept you, at first you have to make the tea or sweep the floor.

When they get to know you and see that you like studio work,

they may give you more interesting jobs and think of employing you.

You will have to spend a year or so working there before they offer you a job,

but provided the studio is an active one doing music and speech work,

you will be able to learn a lot about recording in a year.

Of course, if you realize that the studio is no good, leave it and look for another one.

Now the passage will be read again.

Some people say that if you want to go into the recording business,

“It’s not what you know, but who you know, that matters.

My first reaction to that is to disagree,

but on second thought I must admit that there is some truth in it.

When you go for an interview for a job in a studio,

they will be interested in the qualifications you have on paper

but the really important thing will be that you can show you have had some useful experience.

If you don’t know anyone like that, look in the yellow pages for the list of studios in your area.

Go round to the ones that seem to be successful and ask them if they need extra help.

They will not want to employ you unless you have some previous experience,

so tell them that you will work there for nothing, that you are just interested in recording,

and that you are on the lookout for any job that comes up.

If they accept you, at first you have to make the tea or sweep the floor.

When they get to know you and see that you like studio work,

they may give you more interesting jobs and think of employing you.

You will have to spend a year or so working there before they offer you a job,

but provided the studio is an active one doing music and speech work,

you will be able to learn a lot about recording in a year.

Of course, if you realize that the studio is no good, leave it and look for another one.

Now the passage will be read for the third time.

Some people say that if you want to go into the recording business,

“It’s not what you know, but who you know, that matters.

My first reaction to that is to disagree, but on second thought I must admit that there is some truth in it.

When you go for an interview for a job in a studio,

they will be interested in the qualifications you have on paper

but the really important thing will be that you can show you have had some useful experience.

If you don’t know anyone like that, look in the yellow pages for the list of studios in your area.

Go round to the ones that seem to be successful and ask them if they need extra help.

They will not want to employ you unless you have some previous experience,

so tell them that you will work there for nothing, that you are just interested in recording,

and that you are on the lookout for any job that comes up.

If they accept you, at first you have to make the tea or sweep the floor.

When they get to know you and see that you like studio work,

they may give you more interesting jobs and think of employing you.

You will have to spend a year or so working there before they offer you a job,

but provided the studio is an active one doing music and speech work,

you will be able to learn a lot about recording in a year.

Of course, if you realize that the studio is no good,

leave it and look for another one.

This is the end of listening comprehension.