College English Test Band Six

Part Ⅱ Listening Comprehension

Section A

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 letteron Answer Sheet 1

with a single line through the centre.

Conversation One

M: Good morning.Safe House Insurance.

My name is Paul.How can I help you today?

W: Morning.

I wouldn't say that it's good from where I am standing.

This is Miss Wilson, and this is the third time

I've called this week since receiving your letter

about our insurance claim.

I'm getting a little fed up with my calls

about my claim being completely disregarded.

M: Miss Wilson, thank you for calling back.

Can I take some details to help me look at your claim?

W: It's Miss May Wilson  of 15 South Sea Road in Cornwall,

and the details are that our village

was extensively flooded two months ago.

The entire ground floor of our cottage

was submerged in water, and five of us

have been living in a caravan ever since.

You people are still withholding the money we are entitled to

over a bizarre technical detail.

And it's not acceptable, Paul!

M: Miss Wilson, according to

the notes on your account,  the bizarre technical detail

that you mentioned refers to the fact that you hadn't

paid house insurance the month before the incident.

W: That money left our account.

And now that you should be paying out,

you are suddenly saying that you didn't receive it on time.

I'm really skeptical about this claim.

M: The contract does say

that any mispayment in a year will affect the terms and conditions

of the insurance contract, and may affect claims.

Of course, I can pass you on to my manager

to talk to you more about this.

W: I've already spoken to him,

and you can tell him I'm furious now,

and that your company has a lawsuit on its hands.

You will be hearing from my lawyer.

Goodbye.

Questions 1 to 4 are based on the conversation you have just heard.

1. What is the woman complaining about?

2. What is the problemthe woman's family encountered?

3. What has caused the so-called“bizarre technical detail”according to the man?

4. What does the woman say she will do at the end of the conversation?

Conversation Two

W: How do you feel about the future of artificial intelligence?

Personally, I feel quite optimistic about it.

M:AI? I'm not so optimistic, actually.

In fact, it's something  we should be concerned about.

W: Well, it will help us humans  understand ourselves better.

And when we have a better  understanding of ourselves,

we can improve the world.

M: Well, one thing is for sure.

Technology is evolving faster than our ability to understand it.

And in the future,  AI will make jobs kind of pointless.

W:I think artificial intelligence

will actually help create new kinds of jobs,

which would require less of our time

and allow us to be centered on creative tasks.

M: I doubt that very much.

Probably the last job that

will remain will be writing AI software.

And then eventually,

AI will just write its own software.

W: At that time,

we are going to have a lot of jobs which nobody will want to do.

So, we will need artificial intelligence

for the robots to take care

of the old guys like us.

M: I don't know.

There's a risk that human civilization

could be replaced by a superior type of digital life.

AI will be able to completely simulate a person in every way possible.

In fact, some people think

we're in the simulation, right now.

W: That's impossible.

Humans can't even make a mosquito.

Computers only have chips.

People have brains and that's where the wisdom comes from.

M: Once it's fully developed,

AI will become tired of trying to communicate

with humans as we would be much slower thinkers in comparison.

W: I'm not so sure.

A computer is a computer,  and a computer is just a toy.

M: Computers can easily communicate incredibly fast.

So the computer will just get impatient talking to humans.

It'll be barely getting any information out.

W: Well, I believe there's a benevolent future with AI.

I also think you watch too many science fiction films.

Questions 5 to 8 are based on the conversation you have just heard.

5. What do we learn about the speakers from the conversation?

6. What will new kinds of jobs be like according to the woman?

7. What is the risk the man anticipates?

8. What is the man's concern about AI technology?

Section B

Directions: In this section,  you will hear two passages.

At the end of each passage,  you will hear three or four 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

To achieve financial security,

how much you save is always more important than the amount you earn

or how shrewdly you invest.  If you're under 30 years old,

your goal should be to save 20% of your monthly income after tax deductions.

This is irrespective of how much you earn.

Approximately 50% should be reserved for essentials

like food and accommodation.

The remaining 30% is for recreation and entertainment.

But for many young people,

it'll be difficult to designate such a large proportion of their income for savings.

If you find it hard to save any money at all,

start by cutting all unnecessary spending.

Allocate a tiny amount of 1 or 2 percent for savings

and gradually increase that amount.

Always keep that 20% goal in mind,

prevents yourself from becoming complacent.

It can be challenging to stick to such a strict plan.

But if you adopt the right mindset,

you should be apt to make it work for you.

So what should you be doing with the money that you're saving?

Some must be kept easily accessible

in case you need some cash in an emergency.

The largest proportion should be invested retirement plans either

through your employer or privately.

And you can keep some money for high-risk

but potentially lucrative investments.

Dividends can be reinvested or used to purchase something you like.

By following this plan,  you should hopefully be able to enjoy your life

now and still be financially secure in the future.

Questions 9 to 11 are based on the passage you have just heard.

9.What are people under 30 advised to do to achieve financial security?

10.What should people do if they find it difficult

to follow the speaker's advice on their financial plan?

11.What does the speaker think is important for achieving financial security?

Passage Two

I work in advertising and I like to keep up with current trends,

mainly because I'm aware that we live in an image-obsessed world.

However, when I first started my job,occasionally, I'd catch a glimpse

of myself in the lifts and find myself thinking that I looked a total mess.

Was I being held back by my choice of clothing?

The short answer is yes,  especially when clients are quick

to judge you on your style rather than your work.

But no one can be unique with their outfit every day.

I mean that's why uniforms were invented.

So here's what I did: I created my own uniform.

To do this,  I chose an appropriate outfit.

Then I bought multiple items of the same style in different shades.

Now, I never worry about

what I'm wearing in the morning,

even if I do get a bit tired of just wearing the same classic pieces.

Overall, when it comes to work,

you have to ask yourself，“Will looking smarter enhance

my ability to do my job?”

For some, this question may not be an issue at all,

especially if you work remotely and rarely see your

colleagues or clients face to face.

But if your job involves interacting  with other people,

the answer to this is often yes.

So rather than fighting the system,

I think we should just do whatever helps us

to achieve our goals at work.

If that means playing it safe with your image,

then let's face it.

It's probably worth it.

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

12. What do we learn about the speaker when she first started her job?

13. Why were uniforms invented according to the speaker?

14. What does the speaker say about looking smarter?

15. What does the speaker advise people to do in an image-obsessed world?

Section C

Directions: In this section,

you will hear three recordings of lectures or talks

followed by three or four questions.

The recordings will be played 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.

Recording One

Did you know that Americans have approximately

three times the amount of space we had 50 years ago?

Therefore, you'd think we'd have sufficient room

for all of our possessions.

On the contrary,  the personal storage business

is now a growing industry.

We've got triple the space,

but we've become such enthusiastic consumers

that we require even more.

This phenomenon has resulted  in significant credit card debt,

enormous environmental footprints,

and perhaps not coincidentally,

our happiness levels have failed to increase over the same half century.

I'm here to suggest an alternative

that having less might actually be a preferable decision.

Many of us have experienced,

at some stage,  the pleasure of possessing less.

I propose that less stuff and less space

can not only help you economize,

but also simplify your life.

I recently started an innovative project to

discover some creative solutions that offered me everything I required.

By purchasing an apartment

that was 40 square meters,

instead of 60, I immediately saved $200,000.

Smaller space leads to reduced utility bills,

and also a smaller carbon footprint.

Because it is designed  around an edited collection of possessions,

limited to my favorite stuff,  I'm really excited to live there.

How can we live more basically?

Firstly, we must ruthlessly cut  the unnecessary objects out of our lives.

To stem consumption,  we should think

before we buy and ask ourselves:“Will it truly make me happier?”

Obviously, we should possess some great stuff.

But we want belongings that we're going to love for years.

Secondly, we require space efficiency.

We want appliances  that are designed for use most of the time,

not for occasional use.

Why own a six-burner stove when you rarely use even three burners?

Finally, we need multifunctional  spaces and housewares.

I combined a moveable wall with transforming

furniture to get more out of my limited space.

Consider my coffee table.

It increases in size to accommodate ten.

My office is tucked away, easily hidden.

My bed simply pops out of the wall.

For guests, I can relocate the moveable wall

and utilize the foldable guest beds I installed.

I'm not saying we should all live in tiny apartments.

But consider the benefits of an edited life.

When you return home and walk  through your front door,

take a moment to ask yourself:

“Could I do with a little life editing?

Would that give me more freedom and more time?”

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

16. What has prevented Americans' happiness levels from increasing?

17. What things should we possess according to the speaker?

18. What do we learn about the items  in the speaker's home?

Recording Two

Now, believe it or not,

people sometimes lie in order to maintain a good,

honest reputation—even if it hurts them to do so.

At least, this is what a team of scientists is suggesting,

with evidence to prove it.

Picture this scenario: You often drive for work

and can be compensated for up to 400 miles per month.

Most people at your company drive  about 300 miles each month,

but this month you drove 400 miles.

How many miles do you think you'd claim in your expense report?

The scientists asked this exact question

as part of the study we're discussing today.

With surprising results,

they found that 12% of respondents

reported the distance they drove as less than

the actual figure, giving an  average answer of 384 miles.

In other words,

they lied about the number of miles,

even though they would forfeit money they were owed.

The researchers believe this was to seem honest,

with the assumption being that others

would be suspicious of a high expense claim.

But why would people fabricate numbers

to their own detriment? The researchers explained

that many people care a great deal about their reputation and

how they'll be judged by others.

If they care enough,

their concern about appearing honest and not losing the respect

of others may be greater than their desire to actually be honest.

The researchers assert that the findings suggest

that when people obtain very favorable outcomes,

they anticipate other people's suspicious reactions

and prefer lying and appearing honest

to telling the truth and appearing as selfish liars.

So why is this research important?

Well, experts generally agree

there are two main types of lie:

selfish lies and lies that are meant to benefit others.

The first, as you may predict,  is for selfish gain,

such as submitting a fraudulent claim to an insurance company.

While the second involves lying