Part II Listening Comprehension
Section A
Directions: In this section, you will hear 8 short conversations and 2 long conversations. At the end of each conversation, oneor more questions will be asked about what was said. Both the conversation andthe questions will be spoken only once. After each question there will be apause. 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 onAnswer Sheet 1 with a single line through the centre.
Now let’s begin with the eight shortconversations.
1.
W: Tom, would you be interested in serving on the membership committee this year?
M: Can I get back to you on that in a few days?
Q: What does the man mean?
2.
W: We should buy a good guide book and study it before our trip to Vancouver.
M: We could. But they are overpriced. What about the library?
Q: What does the man mean?
3.
W: You took a history course this term, didn’t you? What can you say about it?
M: Well, the trouble is that I never get through the weekly reading list, though some books are quite interesting.
Q: What does the man mean?
4.
M: I'm taking my girlfriend to the fancy new restaurant for her birthday tonight.
W: I went there last weekend. I found it rather disappointing.
Q: What does the woman mean?
5.
W: Winter is over at last. Time to put away my gloves and boots.
M: I've been waiting for this for months.
Q: What does the man mean?
6.
M: Look, the curtain is going up slowly and all the lights over the stage are lit up.
W: Yeah, the play is starting. Oh, something caught my sleeve. Give me a hand please, Bob.
Q: Where are the speakers now?
7.
W: You only have water to serve your guests?
M: This isn’t just plain water. This is mineral water from Tibet.
Q: What does the man imply?
8.
W: When do you have time to discuss our environmental report? I think we will have to make some revisions.
M: I’ll be free at 3 o’clock this afternoon. But what exactly needs to be changed?
Q: What are the speakers going to do this afternoon?
Now you’ll hear the two long conversations.
Conversation One
W: Why is it important to recycle?
M: There are many reasons. Recycling is one way to keep waste out of landfills. Landfills are places to dump waste.
But they are unpopular, because they can pollute the soil used to cover them and that’s bad for people who may build new homes there.
Recycling also reuses valuable raw materials, such as aluminum and paper.
Finally, recycling can leave a lower garbage bill.
Recycling lowers the amount of waste put into landfills, therefore, less money is spent for garbage disposal.
W: How has recycling changed over the years?
M: Ten or twenty years ago, you could buy milk in returnable, refillable, glass bottles, and many people recycled voluntarily.
Now you buy milk and other products in plastic bottles or paper containers.
Because of the high cost of disposing of these things in landfills, many city governments now have recycling programs.
W: How does recycling help the environment?
M: Recycling helps the environment mainly by saving energy.
For example, it takes 95 percent less energy to produce recycled aluminum than to produce new aluminum.
W: Can one person really make a difference? If only a few people recycle, then what’s the point?
M: If not you, then who? If we combine our efforts, we can make a difference. Each of us contributes to the waste problem.
All the millions of tons of waste that go into landfills started as an old pair of slippers, a broken TV set, or a used magazine that came from somebody’s house—maybe yours!
9. Why are landfills unpopular according to the man?
10. What does the man say has contributed to the increasing amount of waste over the years?
11. According to the man, how does recycling help the environment?
12. Why does the man say everybody should make an effort to recycle?
Conversation Two
W: Could you please give me information on airfares from Miami to Bellingham, Washington? We’d like to buy a good flight as cheaply as possible.
M: Let’s see. I want to advise you to pay the normal one-way economy class fare of $555.
If you can fly on a Tuesday or Wednesday and buy your tickets at least 21 days in advance, I suggest you book a round-trip excursion flight.
W: But we may not need the return tickets.
M: That’s all right. Even if you don’t use them, you should be able to save $89 over the one-way fare.
Of course, I’d recommend early booking. You ought to try to reserve the “Super Saver” seats.
There are only a few of them and they are 50% cheaper than the others.
W: That sounds like a good idea.
M: Wait, to save another hundred dollars or so, why don’t you book a flight to Vancouver, Canada?
W: But that’s farther than where we want to go.
M: I know, but you can take a bus from Vancouver back to Bellingham and still save money.
And if you are travelling with children, you might be able to get a discount if you fly economy class. But they don’t get any discount.
But to take the advantage of the airline’s guarantee fare policy, you’d have to make reservations and pay for your tickets at least six weeks in advance.
Try and begin the search for available seats...
W: No, thank you.
M: Excuse me?
W: I’ll call you back if we don’t decide to drive.
13.Where is the woman planning to go?
14.What is the woman’s purpose in calling the man?
15.What does the man advise the woman to do?