Part 2  Listening Comprehension

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.

News Report One

A poisonous fish which has a sting strong enough to kill a human

is invading the Mediterranean,  warn scientists.

The International Union for Conservation of Nature has raised concerns

after the poisonous fish was spotted  in the waters around Turkey, Cyprus,

and the eastern Mediterranean.

Native to the South Pacific and Indian Ocean,

the potentially deadly fish has poisonous hooks

and a painful sting capable of killing people.

Although fatalities are rare,  the stings can cause extreme pain

and stop people breathing.

The fish, often known as Devil Firefish,   is a highly invasive species,

and environmentalists fear its arrival could endanger other types of marine life.

After being spotted in the Mediterranean,

a marine scientist says,    The fish is spreading,

and that's a cause for concern. 

Questions 1 and 2 are based on the news report you have just heard.

1. What is reported in the news?

2. What is the environmentalist concerned about the spread of Devil Firefish in the Mediterranean?

News Report Two

Almost half the center of Paris will be accessible only by foot or bicycle this Sunday

to mark World Car-Free Day.

This is in response to rising air pollution that made Paris the most polluted city

in the world for a brief time.

Mayor Anne Hidalgo promoted the first World Car-Free Day last year.

Hidalgo also has supported a  Paris Breathes  day.

On the first Sunday of every month,

Paris clears traffic from eight lanes of the main road.

About 400 miles of streets will be closed to cars.

It is expected to bring significant reduction in pollution levels.

Last year's car-free day showed a 40 percent drop in pollution levels

in some parts of the city,

according to an independent air pollution monitor,

reports The Guardian 

and sound levels dropped by 50 percent in the city's center.

Questions 3 and 4 are based on the news report you have just heard.

3. What will happen on World Car-Free Day in Paris?

4. What motivated the mayor of Paris

to promote the first World Car-Free Day in her city?

News Report Three

A Philippine fisherman was feeling down on his luck

when a house fire forced him to clear out his possessions and change locations.

Then a good luck charm that he had kept under his bed changed his life.

The unidentified man had fished out a giant pearl

from the ocean when his anchor got stuck on the rock

while sailing off the coastal island in the Philippines ten years ago.

When he was forced to sell it,

the shocked tourist agent at Puerto Princesca

told him that the 77-pound giant pearl

that he'd kept hidden in his run-down wooden house

was the biggest pearl in the world,  which was valued at 76 million pounds.

The pearl of Allah which is currently on display in a New York museum

only weighs 14 pounds.

That is 5 times smaller than the pearl that the fisherman just handed in.

The monstrous pearl measured at one foot wide and 2.2 feet long

is going to be verified by local experts and international authorities

before hopefully going on display to attract more tourists in the little town.

Questions 5 to 7 are based on the news report you have just heard.

5. What happened to the Philippine fisherman one day?

6. What was the fisherman forced to do?

7. What did the fisherman learn from the tourist agent?

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.

Conversation One

W: Mr. Smith,

it's a pleasure meeting you.

M: Nice to meet you, too.  What can I do for you?

W: Well, I'm here to show you  what our firm can do for you.

Astra Consultants has branches  in over 50 countries,

offering different business services.

We are a global company  with 75 years of history,

and our clients include some of the world's largest companies.

M: Thank you, Mrs. Houston.

I know Astra Consultants is a famous company.

But you said you would show me what you could do for me.

Well, what exactly can your firm do  for my company?

W: We advise businesses on all matters,

from market analysis to legal issues,

anything a business like yours could need.

Our firm offers expert advice.

Could I ask you, Mr. Smith,

to tell me a little about your company and the challenges you face?

That way I could better respond as to how we can help you.

M: Okay, sure.

This is a family business started by my grandfather in 1950.

We employ just over 100 people.

We manufacture and export stone for buildings and other constructions.

Our clients usually want a special kind of stone cut in a special design.

And that's what we do in our factory.

Our main challenge is that  our national currency is rising,

and we're losing competitive advantage

to stone producers in India.

W: I see. That's very interesting.

I would suggest that you let us first conduct a financial analysis

of your company,  together with an analysis of your competitors in India.

That way we could offer the best advice on different ways forward for you.

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

8. What do we learn about the woman's company?

9. What does the man say about his own company?

10. What is the main problem with the man's company?

11. What does the woman suggest doing to help the man's company?

Conversation Two

W: Wow, congratulations, Simon!

The place looks absolutely amazing!

M: Really? You think so?

W: Of course. I love it.

It looks like you had a professional interior designer.

But you didn't, did you?

M: No. I did it all by myself with a little help from my brother Greg.

He's actually in the construction business,  which was really helpful.

W: I honestly am impressed. I know I could probably

repaint the walls in my house  over a weekend or something,

but not a full renovation.

Where did you get your ideas? I wouldn't know where to start.

M: Well, for a while now,

I've been regularly buying home design magazines.

Every now and then,  I'd save a picture I liked.

Believe it or not,  I had a full notebook of magazine pages.

Since my overall style was quite minimal,

I thought and hoped a whole renovation wouldn't be too difficult.

And sure enough,   with Greg's help,  it was very achievable.

W: Was it very expensive?

I've imagined a project like this could be.

M: Actually it was surprisingly affordable.

I managed to sell a lot of my old furniture and put that extra money

towards the new material.

Greg was also able to get some discount materials from a recent project

he was working on as well.

W: Great. If you don't mind,

I'd like to pick your brains a bit more.

Jonathan and I are thinking of  renovating our sitting room,

not the whole house, not yet anyway.

And we'd love to get some inspiration from your experience.

Are you free to come over for a coffee early next week?

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

12. What do we learn about the woman from the conversation?

13. Where did the manget his ideas for the project?

14. What did the man say about the project he recently completed?

15. Why does the woman invite the man to her house next week?

Section C

Directions: In this section, you will hear three 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

Removing foreign objects from ears and noses

costs England almost  three million pounds a year,  a study suggests.

Children were responsible for

the vast majority of cases

95% of objects removed from noses and 85% from ears.

Every year an average of 1,218 nose

and 2,479 ear removals took place  between 2010 and 2016.

According to England's Hospital Episode Statistics,

children aged one to four were the most likely to need help from doctors

for a foreign object in their nose.

Five- to nine-year-olds come to the hospital

with something in their ears the most.

Jewellery items accounted for up to 40% of cases

in both the ears and noses of children.

Paper and plastic toys were the items

removed next most from noses.

Cotton buds and pencils were also found in ears.

According to the study,

the occurrence of foreign objects in children

is generally attributed to curiosity.

Children have an impulse to explore their noses and ears.

This resulted in the accidental entry of foreign objects.

Any ear, nose and throat surgeon  has many weird stories

about wonderful objects found in the noses and ears

of children and adults.

Batteries can pose a particular danger.

In all cases prevention is better than cure.

This is why many toys contain warnings about small parts.

Recognizing problems early and seeking medical attention is important.

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

16. What does England spend an annual three million pounds on?

17. What do we learn from England's Hospital Episode Statistics?

18. What is generally believed to account for children putting things

in their ears or noses?

Passage Two

Good morning.

Today, I would like to talk to you

about my charity ReBicycle.

But before that,  let me introduce someone.

This is Leila Rahimi.

She was so scared

when she first moved to New Zealand

that she struggled to leave the house

and would spend days working up the courage

to walk to the supermarket for basic supplies.

After a few months of being quite down and unhappy,

she was invited to join a local bike club.

At this time,

ReBicycle got involved and gave Leila a second-hand bicycle.

Within weeks,her depression had begun to ease as she cycled.

The bicycle totally changed her life,

giving her hope and a true feeling of freedom.

To date, ReBicycle has donated more than 200 bikes to those in need,

and is now expanding bike-riding lessons as demand soars.

With a bike,

newcomers here can travel farther but for almost no cost.

The three hours a day,

they used to spend walking  to and from English language lessons,

has been reduced to just one hour.

Our bike-riding lessons are so successful

that we are urgently looking for more volunteers.

Learning to ride a bike is almost always

more difficult for an adult,

and this can take days and weeks, rather than hours.

So if any of you have some free time

during the weekend,

please come join us at ReBicycle

and make a difference in someone's life.

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

19. What did ReBicycle do to help Leila Rahimi?

20. What is ReBicycle doing to help those in need?

21. What do we learn from the passage about ReBicycle?

Passage Three

Thanks to the International Space Station,

we know quite a bit about the effects  of low gravity on the human body,

but NASA scientists want to learn more.

To that end, they have been studying

how other species deal with low gravity,  specifically focusing on mice.

The results are both interesting and humorous.

The scientists first sent some mice in a specially designed cage

to the International Space Station.

The cage allowed them to study the behavior of the mice

remotely from Earth via video.

As you'll notice in the video,

the mice definitely seem uncomfortable

at the beginning of the experiment.

They move around clumsily,

drifting within the small confines of the cage,

and do their best to figure out

which way is up,  but without success.

However, it's not long  before the mice begin to catch on.

They adapt remarkably well to their new environment

and even use the lack of gravity to their advantage

as they push themselves around the cage.

That's when things really get wild.

The eleventh day of the experiment

shows the mice are not just dealing with the gravity change

but actually seem to be enjoying it.

Several of the mice are observed running around the cage walls.

The scientists wanted to see whether the mice would continue

doing the same kinds of activities they were observed doing on Earth.

The study showed that the mice kept much of their routines intact,

including cleaning themselves and eating when hungry.

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

22. What do NASA scientists want to learn about?

23. What does the passage say about the mice

at the beginning of the experiment?

24. What was observed about the mice on the eleventh day of the experiment?

25. What did the scientists find about the mice from the experiment?