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

U.S. President Barack Obama is hailing the climate change agreement reached

in Paris as a potential turning point for the world.

“This agreement sends a powerful signal that the world is firmly committed to a

low carbon future. And that has the potential to unleash investment

and innovation in clean energy at a scale we·ve never seen before.”

In an eight minute statement Saturday, Mr. Obama said by approving the agreement,

nearly 200 nations have shown the world has both the will

and ability to take on the challenge of climate change.

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

News Item 2

Pakistan·s army chief visited Russia this week amid warming relations

between the two countries. Ayesha Tanzeem reports.

“Pakistan`s army chief Raheel Sharif met the top Russian civil

and military leadership this weekduring a three day trip to Moscow.

During the next few weeks,

Pakistan`s Prime Minister is also expected

to travel to Russia for a multilateral conference.

Relations between the two cold war rival states have never been better,

according to Pakistan Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Tariq Fatemi.

In the last two years,

we have had more high level visits between the two countries

than in the past many years.

The two countries have announced plans to hold their first joint military exercise.

Ayesha Tanzeem, Islamabad.”

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

News Item 3

The authorities in Los Angeles have defended their decision

to close all public schools for a day because of a suspected security threat.

A similar threat was received in New York

where the authority said it was not credible,

the city`s police chief for the Los Angeles` closure a significant overreaction.

Peter Bowes reports.

“Officials say they decided to close down the entire public school system

out of what they called an abundance of caution

after they`ve received a threat in an email.

The authority said they would search every school in the district

to make sure they were safe for pupils to return. As that got under way,

New York City officials reviewed they had received the same threat,

but quickly dismissed it.

A member of the House Select Committee

on intelligence has since said the threat is believed to be a hoax.”

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

W:Listen, the heating`s broken in my room.

When are you going to come and fix it?

M:I`m sorry to hear that, Madam.

I`ll get someone right away.

W:You`d better.It`s freezing up there.

And my room`s a disgrace.

That maid`s useless.I want her replaced.

M:Well, I`ll speak to the housekeeper about it, Madam.

W:And another thing!

What are you going to do about those foreigners in number 27?

Carrying on all night in that funny language! Shouting, they were.

It shouldn`t be allowed.

M:If you like, Madam,

I`ll have a word with them and ask them to be a little more considerate.

W:Yes, do that, will you, and then maybe I`ll get some sleep.

M:I`m very sorry you`ve been disturbed,

Madam.But are you enjoying your stay apart form that?

W:Well,I don`t think much of the restaurant.

It`s all salad and fancy stuff.And the service is terrible, too.

M:Well, Madam.I`m sure the waiters try to be as helpful as they can,

but they are very busy at dinner.

W:Well, you should get some more,

shouldn`t you? You should be able to afford it.

You`re charging enough this year, aren`t you?

M:I`m very sorry you feel that way about it,

Madam.If there`s anything else I can do to make your stay here more pleasant,

please don`t hesitate to ask me.

W:Don`t worry, I`ll tell you all right!

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

8.Where do the foreigners live?

9.When did the conversation most likely take place?

10.What did the man promise to do about the foreigners?

11.What did the woman think about the restaurant service there?

Conversation Two

M:Excuse me, I came to look at the apartment you have advertised in the paper.

W:Fine.Do you keep pets?

M:No.Why?

W:We don`t allow that in our apartment.Are you a working boy?

M:I have a part time job but I am still a student.

You know, my roommate plays pop music

all the time.It`s so noisy that I can`t concentrate

on my study or even get a good sleep.

Can I see the apartment now?

W:OK.Let`s go take a look.

M:How much is the rent?

W:$160 a month.And there`s a one month deposit.

Of course you get that back if the apartment is in good condition when you move out.

M:That`s a little more than I was planning on paying.

I was thinking $130 or $140.

W:Here we are.Come on in.

M:Oh, say, this is very nice.

And it`s really light in here.

W:The phone, stove and refrigerator go with the apartment.

You have to pay the bills of course.

M:I really like it.It`s very convenient to the university.

But would you lower the rent? Just a little.Say $150?

W:Well, the rent is actually the lowest in this area.

But I`d like to have a hard working student as my lodger.

All right, $155 a month.

I can`t lower it further.

M:OK, I`ll take it.

W:Can you make a deposit today?

M:Yes.Is a $100 OK?

M:Fine.

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

12.What is the young man?

13.Why does the young man want to rent an apartment?

14.Why does the woman agree to lower the rent?

15.How much does the young man pay as a deposit?

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

Matthew Hobbs was sixteen years old.

He had been at the same school for five years,

and he had always been a very bad pupil.

He was lazy, he fought with other pupils,

he was rude to the teachers and he did not obey the rules of the school.

His headmaster tried to make him work and behave better,

but he was never successful and the worst thing was that,

as Matthew grew older, he had a bad influence on the younger boys.

Then at last Matthew left school.

He tried to get a job with a big company,

and the manager wrote to the headmaster to find out

what he could say about Matthew.

The headmaster wanted to be honest,

but he also did not want to be too bad.

It took him sometime to think and he wrote,

“If you can get Matthew Hobbs to work for you,

you will be very lucky.”

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

16.How did Matthew behave at school?

17.What did Matthew do when he left school?

18.How did the headmaster feel about the manager`s request?

Passage Two

The word “sports” first meant something that people did in their free time.

Later it often meant hunting wild animals and birds.

About 100 years ago the word was first used for organized games.

This is the usual meaning of the world today.

People spend a lot of their spare time playing football, basketball,

tennis and many other sports.Such people play because they want to.

A few people are paid for the sport they play and they are called

“professional athletes”, or “pros”.

They may only be pros for only a few years,

but during that time the best ones can earn a lot of money.

For example, a professional football player in America

earns more than $100,000 a year.The stars earn a lot more.

Some international golf and tennis pros can make

more than a million dollars a year.

Of course, only a few pros can earn much money.

But perhaps the most surprising thing about pros and money is this:

the stars can earn more money from advertising than from sports.

An advertisement for sports equipment does not simply say “Buy our things.”

It says “Buy the same shirt and shoes as the pros have.”

Famous pros can even advertise things like watches and food.

They allow companies to use their names or photographers

and they are paid for this usage.

Sports are no longer just something for people`s spare time.

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

19.What is a “pro”?

20.Who can earn over $1,000,000 a year?

21.If a pro wants to earn more money, what should he or she do?

Passage Three

The “American dream” is an idea that grew from TV programs, books,

and stories about family life.The idea began in the 1950s, after World War Ⅱ.

What was the “dream”?As the first step,

families bought or built a comfortable little home in the suburbs.

This often meant a long commute to work.

Many husbands road the train or drove two hours each day,

but this was part of the dream.

The husband “wore the pants” in the family.

He made the decisions because he went to work,

he paid the bills, and he “put” food on the table.Of course,

his wife actually cooked the meals!

The wife spent her time at home.

She took care of the children and kept house.

Occasionally she found time for a hobby.

According to the dream, everyone was happy with this arrangement.

This was the image that people held of the “perfect family.”

If the husband or wife felt bored or discontented,

he or she hid these feelings.

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

22.What`s the American Dream about according to the speaker?

23.Where do families set up their houses?

24.What is the role of the husband in the family?

25.What will the husband or wife do, if he or she feels bored or unsatisfied?