Part II Listening Comprehension

25 minutes

Section A

Directions:

In this section,

you will hear three news reports.

At the end of each news report,

you will hear two or three questions.

Both the news report 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 1

with a single line through the centre.

Questions 1 and 2 will be based on the following news item.

News Item 1

Our first story takes us to the U.S. state of Michigan.

The National Guard has been activated there.

 A state of emergency has been declared.

It`s all related to the water supply in the city of Flint.

About 100,000 people live there and some of them have been exposed

to increased levels of lead in their tap water.

This is serious. Lead poisoning can cause developmental

and behavioral problems in children.

It can lead to lower IQ levels. It`s irreversible.

And what started out as a way to save money

in the struggling city has put parts of the population at risks.

A preliminary investigation did not

 blame the city council or the mayor of Flint,

but it put the blame at the state level,

 with Michigan`s Department of Environmental Quality.

Questions 3 and 4 will be based on the following news item.

News Item 2

As many as 50 refugees were found dead inside a truck in Austria Thursday.

An Austrian official confirmed that a truck had been found

on a road near the town of Parndorf.

He did not say the exact number of people found inside the truck.

The victims reportedly suffocated.

The migrants were found on the same day that European leaders met in Vienna

to discuss ways to deal with the growing migrant crisis.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel is attending the migrant crisis meeting.

She called the discovery of the migrants a

“warning to work to solve this problem and show solidarity.”

Austria`s foreign minister on Thursday presented ideas

for a five point plan that would establish areas

where people seeking asylum in the European Union

could be processed. If they qualify,

they would be given safe passage to Europe.

Questions 5 to 7 will be based on the following news item.

News Item 3

Chinese state media report the death toll from powerful explosions

in the Chinese port of Tianjin has risen to 104.

It says at least 21 firefighters were among those killed.

Chinese officials ordered an immediate evacuation near the site

of the huge fire and explosions Wednesday night.

The blasts happened at a chemical storage building in

an industrial neighborhood in the northeastern city.

The Beijing News on Saturday said all people

 within a three kilometer distance

of the warehouse are being forcibly removed from the area.

 Officials reportedly are concerned

about a possible poisonous chemical spread.

The newspaper reported that police said

sodium cyanide was discovered east of the site.

The chemical can kill. A team of more than 200 military nuclear

and biochemical specialists has been searching

the area for possible dangerous chemicals.

The official Xinhua news agency said anti chemical warfare troops rescued

a man Saturday 50 meters from the blast center.

The People`s Daily said the 50 year old man was rescued

from a container around 2:00 p.m. local time,

 nearly three days after the explosion.

Chinese Central Television reported

that rescue operations were suspended Saturday after a new fire broke out.

 The broadcaster said a car damaged during the explosion caught fire.

Hundreds of people remain hospitalized.

 Local officials have discovered several poisonous materials near the explosion site.

 However, they have repeatedly said that air

and water quality in the city remains normal.

Investigators still do not know what caused the explosions,

which sent huge fireballs into the night sky.

The powerful shockwaves also shattered glass several kilometers away.

Section B

Directions:

In this section,

you will hear two long conversations.

 At the end of each conversation,

you will hear four questions.

 Both the conversation 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 1

with a single line through the centre.

Now you will hear two long conversation.

Conversation One

M: Oh, Janna, you`re early! I`m happy you`re here early today because

I`d like to discuss your attendance for a moment.

W: Gee, Dr. Livingston,

I`m really sorry about missing yesterday.

M: Actually, it`s been several days.

 Counting today, we`ve only had 6 classes,

yet you`ve already missed 4.

You won`t be able to pass if you`re constantly absent.

W: Sorry, I`ve been extremely busy.

M: Well, I hope you`re ready for today`s exam.

W: Today? I thought it was Monday!

M: Read the syllabus, Janna; this is precisely what I`m talking about.

You should either make an effort to attend,

or you should consider withdrawing while it`s still possible.

W: What do you mean?

M: Today`s the final day you can withdraw and get a full refund.

W: Maybe I really should; what do you suggest?

M: I wish you could attend classes regularly; however,

if you don`t believe you`re capable of this,

then don`t waste your money.

W: Thanks, Dr. Livingston; I really appreciate your advice.

If it`s okay, I suppose I`ll go ahead and drop the class.

M: It`s entirely up to you, but that might be best

if you don`t think things are going to change.

Excuse me, the students are coming,

and I`ve got to get ready for class.

I wish you the very best of luck, Janna.

W: Thank you, Dr. Livingston. Good bye.

Questions 8 to 11 are based on the conversation you have just heard.

8. How many classes has Janna already missed?

9. What are the two speakers talking about?

10. What does Mr. Livingston do according to the conversation?

11. What will Janna probably do in Mr. Livingston`s opinion?

Conversation Two

W: Hi! Welcome to Rental Property Management.

 How may I help you?

M: Yes. I`m interested in renting a two bedroom apartment.

W: Okay. Have a seat, please.

M: Thank you.

W: My name is Ann Smith.

 I`m the rental agent here.

M: I`m Bill Harrington.

W: Hi, Mr. Harrington. So that we will be able to match your needs better,

 I would like to ask you a few questions before

I show you what we have available.

First, what price range were you interested in?

M: Somewhere between $400 $450 a month.

W: Okay. Did you have a specific location in mind?

M: Well,I would like to live somewhere near the university.

 Or at least on a bus line.

W: And when would you like to move in?

M: On the first of the month.

W: Okay. Are there any other amenities which you would like to have?

For example, a dishwasher, a balcony,

a swimming pool or central air conditioning?

M: I would definitely like to have a dishwasher,

and with summers like these, central air! A balcony is not that important.

Oh, yes, and two bathrooms would be nice.

W: Okay. Here are photos of the apartments we have available

which fit your preferences.

M: Thank you. This one on Broadway Avenue looks nice.

I would like to see that one. And the one on Main Street.

W: Sure. Let me get the keys and we will go to look at them.

If you choose to rent one of them, we will need a damage deposit of $250.

You will be responsible for all the utilities.

You can sign a lease today, if you like.

M: Great! Thank you.

Questions 12 to 15 are based on the conversation you have just heard.

12.For what did Bill get to the Rental Property Management?

13. What rent price would NOT be acceptable according to Bill?

14.What does Bill probably do?

15.What is the most important thing that Bill will do?

Section C

In this section, you will hear three 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 1

 with a single line through the centre.

Passage One

People usually sing because they like music,

or because they feel happy.

They express their happiness by singing.

When a bird sings, however,

its song usually means much more than that the bird is in a good temper.

Birds have many reasons for singing.

They sing to give information. Their songs are their language.

The lovely songs are sung by male birds.

They sing to attract female birds.

It is their way of saying that they`re looking for a wife.

Birds also sing to tell other birds to keep away.

To a bird, his tree or even a branch of a tree is his home.

He does not want strangers to come near him, so he sings to warn them.

If a bird can not sing well,

he usually has some other means of giving important information.

Some birds dance, spread out their tails or make other signs.

There is also a special kind of bird which

builds a small garden of shells and flowers to attract the female bird.

Questions 16 to 18 are based on the passage you have just heard.

16.What is the main reason for birds to sing?

17.What do most birds usually do if they can`t sing well?

18.What does the special kind of bird do to attract a female bird?

Passage Two

In the past two years, millions of Americans have suddenly embraced

the bicycle as if it were a startling new invention.

Annual bike sales doubled between 1960 and 1970,

and there are nearly 70 million bikes in the United States today.

That`s more than two for every three automobiles.

Of course, the bike has been around for more than 150 years,

and this isn`t America`s first bicycle boom.

A wave of bike enthusiasm swept the land in the late 1800s

 and bicycle production hit two million units in 1897.

Then with the coming of the auto, bicycling declined,

and for decades remained popular only with children and a few adult faddists.

Now, national preoccupation with air pollution

and physical fitness has brought the bike back to the forefront—particularly with adults.

 More than eight million bikes were sold in the United States last year

and a third of them went to adults. The year before,

only 15 percent of new bike sales were for adults.

Questions 19 to 21 are based on the passage you have just heard.

19.Which of the following is true according to the passage you`ve just heard?

20.Why were bikes popular only to kids for years?

21.What can you infer from the passage?

Passage Three

Brighton is a popular seaside town on the south coast of England.

 Not long ago some policemen at Brighton were very puzzled.

There had been several serious accidents caused by motorists driving too fast.

The police started to set up a speed trap.

They measured a distance of 88 yards on a straight road

and watched to see how long a car took to travel that far.

They knew that if a car took less than six seconds,

it was traveling faster than the speed limit of 30 miles an hour.

(24)When the policemen were ready,

 they hid behind a hedge and started to time passing vehicles.

During their first half an hour,

they caught five drivers. The policemen wrote down the number

of each car and the name and address of the driver.

But for the next half an hour the policemen did not see anybody driving too fast.

They thought that this was very strange.

 One of them drove a quarter of a mile along

the road and saw two students sitting on the grass.

They were holding up a sheet of cardboard so that motorists could see it.

On the notice one of the students had written: “Danger. Speed Trap.”

The policemen took the notice away and wrote down the names of the students.

 Later on they were each fined ￡5 for trying to stop the policemen

from catching motorists who were breaking the law.

Questions 22 to 25 are based on the passage you have just heard.

22.Which of the following statements is true for a car traveling

 over a distance of 88 yards on a straight road according to the passage?

23.What does “a speed trap” mean in the passage?

24.How did the police catch the car drivers speeding?

25.Why couldn`t the police catch anyone after half an hour?