English Weekly CET-6 Listening Practice Test Ⅷ

　　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. M: Excuse me, do you know the timetable for Metro Line 11.

　　W: Well, it leaves here every 15 minutes from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m..

　　Q: When can you take Metro Line 11 here?

　　12. M: Will you have time to visit some of your customers while youre in Paris?

　　W: Id say I should make some time for that.

　　Q: What does the woman mean?

　　13. M: I feel so bad today. My head, my stomachit seems my whole body aches. I think I need a physical check-up.

　　W: Honey, take it easy. What you need most is a good rest.

　　Q: Whats the most probable relationship between the two speakers?

　　14. W: Tom, where have you been? You did not show up at the party this evening.

　　M: An unexpected guest changed my plans.

　　Q: Why didnt Tom go to the party?

　　15. W: Im afraid the position you are interested in is no longer available.

　　M: I see. But are there any other openings?

　　Q: Where does this conversation take place?

　　16. M: This carpet would be a bad choice for the bedroom. The color is too bright.

　　W: But it has lasted a long time and the cost is within our budget.

　　Q: What does the woman mean?

　　17. M: It seems that you have a sweet tooth.

　　W: Yes, but my husband is just the opposite.

　　Q: What can we learn from the conversation?

　　18. M: Some of us are going to meet at the lobby for drinks. Would you like to join us?

　　W: After the long trip and everything, Im feeling a little worn out. I think Ill call it a day.

　　Q: What will the woman do?

　　Now youll hear two long conversations.

　　Conversation One

　　M: Guess what? I was walking down the street today when this stranger came up and huggged me they were part of a group of young people called Free Huggers.

　　W: What are Free Huggers?

　　M: Their activities are organized spontaneously over the Internet. They hope that by hugging strangers, they can bring people closer, and inject a little bit of warmth into the cold and detached interpersonal relationships.

　　W: Oh, Ive heard of that, people in the US and Australia do that too. But in China, I dont think that theres a custom of hugging people you dont know.

　　M: Right, hugging is only between friends and family. The Free Huggers philosophy holds that hugging can make them feel someone cares about them. When I got hugged by them, I had an intense feeling of warmth and happiness.

　　W: Thats great! It seems like you could call what the Free Huggers do an important public service.

　　M: Totally! In modern society, interpersonal relationships get more distant every day because a lot of people only pay attention to their own interests.

　　W: So whats the general attitude of the Chinese?

　　M: A considerable number of people have a supportive attitude. There are also a few people who dont support what the Free Huggers do; they think that if you want to spread friendliness, a smile is enough; you dont necessarily need to hug someone.

　　W: Sounds reasonable. After all, some traditions cant be changed overnight. Besides, Americans dont randomly hug strangers either.

　　M: Good point. People can be distant or they can be close, but becoming closer is what every one wants.

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

　　19. What happened to the man when he was walking down the street that day?

　　20. What is the philosophy of Free Huggers?

　　21. Whats your understanding of the Free Huggers from the conversation?

　　22. What will the chinese people do to show their friendliness?

　　Conversation Two

　　M: Today is International Womens Day, a day meant to mark the economic, social, cultural and

　　political achievements of women. But, for all the celebrations, the gender gap, it seems, remains. Now we welcome Laura to join our program to discuss it.

　　W: Im glad to join the discussion.

　　M: Laura, do you think full equality is really achievable?

　　W: I dont really think it is, I think women, at the end of the day, have got to decide if theyre going to have a full-time career or be stay-at-home mothers. Theyve either got to give up their career or not have children.

　　M: How does it work for you? Do you feel you have to make any sacrifices in terms of both career and family life?

　　W: Well. Im very lucky. I dont need much sleep. Not many people have this physical advantage. And I have a helper, who is a male nanny, to do all the jobs around the house. But what Ive given up is time for myself.

　　M: To get the kind of work-life balance, you have to be earning a decent wage, but many women arent earning a decent wage when they have children. How do you handle it?

　　W: I think if the woman has a career that she actually enjoys or she is the highest earner, the husband can be the main caregiver of the children.

　　M: Im proud to say that Im one of the men who look at women as their equals. But do you think that women are experiencing male prejudice?

　　W: Oh, absolutely. My husband, for example, I love him to bits, but he is totally and utterly convinced that it is the womans role to bring up the kid.

　　M: Is there any way to get rid of prejudice?

　　W: Well, actually, in some parts of the world, women are in a very terrible situation. It is now time for men to look at it. The government and companies should allow paternal leave to encourage men to shoulder the responsibility of taking care of children. It would be a huge advantage.

　　M: Thats a fantastic idea. Laura, good to talk to you. Thank you very much for joining us.

　　W: Ok, it was great to talk with you.

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

　　23. What are the two speakers mainly discussing?

　　24. How does Laura handle both career and family life?

　　25. In Lauras view, what is one of the possible ways to wipe out male prejudice?

　　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

　　The similarities between identical twins often cause us to overlook their individualities. We tend to view them as two peas in a pod. However, no two people are absolutely the same. And even though identical twins might look and act similarly, they are, like any two people, two unique individuals.

　　Identical twins form when a single fertilized egg in the mothers body divides into two embryos. Since they come from the same genetic material, identical twins are the same sex and usually look alike. But, though their genes are similar, environmental factors---which are never the same in any two livesso shape the kind of people they will become.

　　These environmental factors provide identical twins with individual characteristics even before they are born. For example, blood flow and the infants positions inside the mothers womb give each twin a unique set of fingerprints. After birth, their surroundingsincluding the people they encounter and the experiences they have play a large role in molding their personalities.

　　Both genes and environment are significant in determining who we aretwins and non-twins alike. Surprisingly, studies have shown that identical twins who, for one reason or another, grow up apart have more personality similarities than those who grow up together. One reason for this may be that identical twins who grow up together feel the need to develop individual identities.

　　The experiences of Jodi Horner, who has written on the Internet about being an identical twin, appear to confirm these findings. She says that when they were growing up together, she was the good girl, while her sister, Jami, was the rebel. When they went to different colleges, however, Jami became more disciplined, while Jodi became wilder.

　　Years later, Jami asked her sister what made them different. Jodi answered, Our souls make us unique. So the next time you see a pair of identical twins, remember that although they might look alike on the outside, underneath the surface they are two distinct individuals.

　　Questions 26 to 29 are based on the passage you have just heard.

　　26. What does two peas in a pod mean in this passage?

　　27. According to the passage, which of the following statements is not true?

　　28. Which of the following cannot describe the similarities of identical twins?

　　29. What do we know about Jodi and Jami?

　　Passage Two

　　The earliest settlers came to the North American continent to establish colonies that were free from the controls that existed in European societies. They wanted to escape the controls placed on their lives by kings, priests, churches and noblemen. To a great extent, they succeeded in getting freedom. By freedom, Americans mean the desire and the ability of all individuals to control their own destiny without outside interference from the government, a ruling noble class, the church, or any other organized authority. The desire to be free of controls was a basic value of the new nation in 1776, and it has continued to attract immigrants to this country.

　　There is, however, a price to be paid for this individual freedom: self-reliance. Individuals must learn to rely on themselves or risk losing freedom. This means achieving both financial and emotional independence from their parents as early as possible, usually by age 18 or 21. It means that Americans believe they should take care of themselves, solve their own problems and stand on their own two feet.

　　The second important reason why immigrants have crowded into the US is the belief that everyone has a chance to succeed there. Generations of immigrants, from the earliest settlers to the present day, have come to the US with this expectation. They have felt that because individuals are free from excessive political, religious, and social controls, they have a better chance for personal success.

　　It is important to understand what most Americans mean when they say they believe in equality of opportunity. They dont mean that everyone isor should be---equal. However, they do mean that each individual should have an equal chance for success. Americans see much of life as a race for success. For them, equality means that everyone should have an equal chance to enter the race and win.

　　Questions 30 to 32 are based on the passage you have just heard.

　　30. What is this passage most probably about?

　　31. According to the passage, which of the following statements is not true?

　　32. Why do immigrants think they have a chance of success in America?

　　Passage Three

　　Today, in our series of lectures on human language, we are going to be looking at the way in which children acquire language. The study of how people learn to speak has proved to be one of the most fascinating, important and complex branches of language study. So lets look at these three features in turn. Firstly, why is it fascinating? This stems from the natural interest people take in the developing abilities of young children. People are fascinated by the way in which children learn, particularly their own children! Secondly, it is important to study how we acquire our first language, because the study of child language can lead us to a greater understanding of language as a whole. The third point is that its a complex study and this is because of the enormous difficulties that are encountered by researchers as soon as they attempt to explain language development, especially in the very young child.

　　In todays lecture we will cover a number of topics. We will start by talking about research methods. There are a number of ways that researchers have investigated childrens language and these include the use of diaries, recordings and tests, and well be looking at how researchers make use of these various methods. We will then go on to examine the language learning process, starting with the development of speech in young infants during the first year of life. This is the time associated with the emergence of the skills of speech perception, in other words, an emergence of the childs awareness of his or her own ability to speak. We will continue with our examination of the language learning process, this time by looking at language learning in the older child, that is in children under five. As they mature, it is possible to begin analysis in conventional linguistic terms, and so in our analysis we will look at phonological, grammatical and semantic development in pre-school children.

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

　　33. Why is the study of child language acquisition fascinating?

　　34. What does the discussion of research methods include?

　　35. What does the language learning process start with?

　　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.

　　We all hope that the values that are important to each of us are passed along to our children. Often, however, that hope is challenged by a flood of pop culture messages, peer pressure, and overscheduled lives that leave little time for good counsel or reflection. Its easy to forget that learning values and character at home is as important as any schoolwork or extracurricular activity.

　　In the real world of jobs and career, people are judged by two standards: their professional skills and their personal traits. While grade school, high school, and college can teach skills and proficiency, its up to parents to teach children the attributes that make for success in the real world -- diligence, a cooperative attitude, creativity, optimism, assertiveness, and honesty. Schools -- particularly colleges -- dont focus on these issues. Thats the job of the parents, so take the assignment seriously. Send your kids into the world ready to handle not only the tasks of life but also its hurdles, social obstacles, and frustrations with skills and character.

　　You really cant start soon enough. After all, children need personal integrity and morals as much as any adult. Bullies will always be around, tasks wont always be assigned fairly, the good guys wont always win, and money wont always be in ample supply. Exposing children to the harsher realities of life isnt cruel; giving them that experience and coaching them through it is part and parcel of raising kids to have courage, resilience, and honor. Write down the most important messages you want your children to truly understand by the time they enter the real world. Then think through how to teach these crucial lessons. Talking to your kids should be only part of the plan. Letting them witness integrity in action -- through your own behavior, by watching documentaries about great people together, or even by visiting a courtroom---is the strongest way to impart the message. By identifying the specific attributes you would like to see in your children, youre more likely to reinforce those characteristics. So make a point of it. After all, if you dont teach your children integrity, who will?