大学英语四级考试巅峰听力MP3与字幕文本下载 Track 32
日期:2014-05-16
[00:01.09]Model Test Eleven
[00:03.82]Section A
[00:06.56]Directions: In this section,
[00:10.72]you will hear 8 short conversations and 2 long conversations.
[00:16.54]At the end of each conversation,
[00:19.15]one or more questions will be asked about what was said.
[00:23.74]Both the conversation and the questions will be spoken only once.
[00:30.19]After each question there will be a pause.
[00:34.68]During the pause,
[00:35.99]you must read the four choices marked A) , B) , C) and D) ,
[00:43.21]and decide which is the best answer.
[00:46.27]Then mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 2
[00:51.20]with a single line through the centre.
[00:54.65]Now let's begin with the 8 short coversations.
[01:01.19]11. W: George,look at the long waiting line.
[01:06.99]I am glad youve made a reservation.
[01:09.51]M: More and more people enjoy eating out now.
[01:12.67]Besides,this place is especially popular
[01:16.99]with the overseas students.
[01:18.26]Q: Where did the conversation most probably take place?
[01:38.29]12. M: I wonder if you can drop by tomorrow evening.
[01:43.98]The Stevensons are coming over for dinner.
[01:47.26]I'd like you to meet them.
[01:49.34]W: Sure,I'd love to.
[01:51.31]I've heard they are very interesting people.
[01:54.26]Q: What do we learn from the conversation?
[02:12.00]13. W: The presentation made by Professor Jackson
[02:17.80]was too complicated to understand.
[02:20.54]M: Well,I think he didn't speak slowly enough
[02:24.26]for us to take notes.
[02:26.01]Q: What is the man's complaint?
[02:43.00]14. W: You've got your apartment furnished,haven't you?
[02:48.65]M: Yes,I've bought some used furniture at the Sunday market.
[02:53.00]And it was a real bargain.
[02:55.44]Q: What does the man mean?
[03:12.99]15. M: Mary doesn't want me to take the job.
[03:18.89]She says our child is too young.
[03:21.73]And the job requires much traveling.
[03:24.47]W: You should talk to her again
[03:26.59]and see if you can find a way out.
[03:29.39]Think about the gains and losses
[03:31.69]before you make a decision.
[03:34.10]Q: What do we learn from the conversation?
[03:51.49]16. M: I haven't got my scores on the GRE test yet.
[03:59.16]Do you think I should call to make inquiries?
[04:02.22]W: There is no hurry.
[04:04.19]The test scores are released at least
[04:06.81]eight weeks after the test.
[04:08.78]Q: What does the woman advise the man to do?
[04:26.09]17. M: Have you finished reading the book
[04:31.89]you bought last month?
[04:33.42]W: Oh,I didn't read straight through the way
[04:36.27]you read a novel,
[04:37.57]I just covered a few chapters that interested me most.
[04:41.18]Q: How did the woman read the book?
[04:59.24]18. W: Hi, John.
[05:03.51]Haven't seen you for quite a while.
[05:05.70]Are you fine?
[05:07.34]M: Oh,yes, but luck seems to go against me.
[05:11.61]I had a car accident,
[05:13.69]only some minor injuries, though.
[05:16.76]Q: What happened to John?
[05:35.25]Now you will hear two long coversations.
[05:39.19]Conversation One
[05:41.16]W: Tim,did you get your ticket for the concert Friday?
[05:45.01]M: I tried to.I stopped by the ticket office
[05:49.47]on the way back from campus,
[05:51.23]but they wouldn't take my check.
[05:54.18]W: Why not?
[05:55.38]M: The cashier said
[05:56.69]I didnt have enough identification with me—
[06:00.08]a student ID card wasn't enough.
[06:02.82]He said I needed a driver's license,too.
[06:06.32]W: What happened to yours?
[06:08.18]Did you lose it,or just forget to bring it with you?
[06:12.01]M: I dont have one.You know me—
[06:14.53]I ride my bicycle everywhere I go,
[06:17.81]so why do I need a driver's license?
[06:21.09]W: You could still get an official identification card
[06:25.36]from the state and use that to cash checks.
[06:28.97]M: Where do I get one of those?
[06:31.27]W: At the same place you get a drivers license,
[06:34.54]the Bureau of Motor Vehicles.
[06:36.96]M: Is that office downtown?
[06:38.82]W: No, it's out on Southland Parkway,
[06:41.99]next to the Midvale Shopping Mall.
[06:44.39]M: What do you think I'll need to do to get one?
[06:48.23]W: Just bring some official document
[06:50.30]that has your date of birth on it.
[06:52.60]You could use a passport,for example.
[06:55.23]M: I'll ride out there tomorrow.
[06:57.63]W: Good idea.And I'll tell you what,Tim—
[07:00.41]if you promise to cash a check as soon as you can,
[07:04.23]I'll let you borrow some money,
[07:06.21]and you can go get that ticket.
[07:08.83]Questions 19 to 22 are based on the conversation
[07:14.53]you have just heard.
[07:16.60]19. According to the conversation,
[07:20.75]why was Tim unable to buy the ticket?
[07:38.93]20. Why doesn't Tim have a drivers license?
[08:00.00]21. What does the woman suggest Tim bring
[08:05.10]when he goes to the Bureau of Motor Vehicles?
[08:23.48]22. What does the woman offer to do for the man?
[08:44.06]Conversation Two
[08:46.58]M: Want to go out and get something to eat?
[08:49.96]W: I can't.I have a chemistry midterm on Monday
[08:53.58]and a German exam on Tuesday.
[08:56.20]M: I have a geology exam Monday myself,
[08:59.71]but I think I'm ready for it.
[09:02.11]W: What kind of exam is it going to be—
[09:04.84]multiple choice or essay?
[09:07.26]M: Neither.
[09:08.02]The professor is going to give us a mineral sample
[09:11.19]and we have to identify it.
[09:13.81]W: How do you do that?
[09:15.46]I mean,a rock's a rock,isn't it?
[09:17.97]M: Actually,there are a lot of tests
[09:20.71]you can perform on minerals to help you figure out
[09:24.21]what they are.Probably the first tests Ill do
[09:27.93]are scratch tests.When you do a scratch test,
[09:30.99]you rub the sample on a known mineral
[09:34.38]to see if the unknown mineral
[09:36.24]scratches the known mineral or vice versa.
[09:39.74]That tells you the relative hardness of the sample.
[09:43.35]W: What other tests will you do?
[09:45.32]M: I'll probably do a streak test next.
[09:48.94]In that test,you rub an unknown mineral
[09:52.76]against a piece of china to see what color the streak is.
[09:57.14]W: Why can't you just look at the mineral
[09:59.98]to see what color it is?
[10:02.06]M: Well,you can,
[10:03.49]but sometimes a mineral has some other substance in it,
[10:07.98]and the substance can change its color.
[10:10.71]But a streak test shows the minerals true color.
[10:14.10]Then theres always the specific gravity test,
[10:17.16]the blowpipe test...oh,and...
[10:20.00]W: And after you've done all these tests,
[10:22.63]can you positively identify any mineral?
[10:26.13]M: Well, usually...but not always.
[10:29.42]I just hope I can on Monday!
[10:32.26]Questions 23 to 25 are based on the conversation
[10:37.00]you have just heard.
[10:39.49]23. What type of exam is the man taking on Monday?
[11:00.40]24. According to the man,
[11:03.91]what does a streak test show about a mineral?
[11:22.18]25. What does the man imply
[11:26.35]about the tests used to identify minerals?
[11:44.99]Section B
[11:47.47]Directions: In this section, you will hear 3 short passages.
[11:53.61]At the end of each passage, you will hear some questions.
[11:57.43]Both the passage and the questions will be spoken only once.
[12:02.26]After you hear a question,
[12:04.22]you must choose the best answer from the four choices
[12:07.83]marked A) , B) , C) and D).
[12:17.24]Then mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 2
[12:20.19]with a single line through the centre.
[12:20.65]Passage One
[12:22.73]A friend of mine told me that when he was a young man,
[12:27.98]he went to work as a teacher in one of the states of India.
[12:32.79]One day,he received an invitation to dinner
[12:37.39]at the ruler's palace.
[12:39.03]Very pleased,he went to tell his colleagues.
[12:43.19]They laughed,and told him the meaning of the invitation.
[12:48.55]They had all been invited,
[12:50.85]and each person who was invited had to bring with him
[12:55.33]a certain number of silver and gold coins.
[12:59.49]The number of coins varied according to the person's position
[13:05.29]in the service of the government.
[13:07.69]My friend's income was not high,
[13:10.86]so he did not have much to pay.
[13:14.04]Each person bowed before the ruler,
[13:17.43]his gold went onto one heap,
[13:20.71]his silver went onto another heap.
[13:23.56]And in this way he paid his income tax for the year.
[13:28.37]This was a simple way of collecting income tax.
[13:33.84]The tax on property was also collected simply.
[13:39.32]The ruler gave a man the power
[13:43.03]to collect a tax from each owner of land or property
[13:47.84]in a certain area,
[13:49.37]if this man promised to pay the ruler a certain amount of money.
[13:54.74]Of course, the tax collector managed to collect more money
[14:00.75]than he paid to the ruler.
[14:03.60]The difference between the sum of money he collected
[14:07.87]and the sum of money he gave to the ruler was his profit.
[14:13.89]Questions 26 to 28 are based on the passage you have just heard.
[14:20.89]26. What do we know about the speaker's friend?
[14:40.19]27. What was the real purpose of the ruler's invitation?
[14:59.62]28. What does the passage say about the tax collectors?
[15:11.34]Passage Two
[15:13.20]Around the year 1000 A.D,
[15:17.46]some people from northwest India began to travel westwards.
[15:23.37]Nobody knows why.
[15:25.01]After leaving their homes,
[15:27.75]they did not settle down again,
[15:30.26]but spent their lives moving from one place to another.
[15:35.42]Their later generations are called the Romany people,
[15:40.79]or Gypsies.
[15:42.32]There are Gypsies all over the world,
[15:45.60]and many of them are still travelling with no fixed homes.
[15:50.63]There are about 8 million of them,
[15:54.25]including 3 million in eastern Europe.
[15:58.18]Gypsies sometimes have a hard time in the countries
[16:03.66]where they travel,because they are different.
[16:06.93]People may be afraid of them,look down on them,
[16:10.55]or think that they are criminals.
[16:13.28]The Nazies treated the Gypsies cruelly,
[16:17.98]like the Jews,and nobody knows
[16:21.16]how many of them died in Hitler's death camps.
[16:25.43]Gypsies have their own language,Romany.
[16:30.13]They liked music and dancing.
[16:32.86]And they often work in fairs and travelling shows.
[16:36.81]Travelling is very important to them,
[16:40.63]and many Gypsies are unhappy
[16:43.03]if they have to stay in one place.
[16:46.21]Because of this,
[16:47.74]it is difficult for Gypsy children to go to school,
[16:51.68]and Gypsies are often unable to read and write.
[16:56.38]In some places, the education authorities
[17:00.55]try to arrange special travelling schools for Gypsy children,
[17:05.03]so that they can get the same education as other children.
[17:11.05]Questions 29 to 31 are based on the passage
[17:16.00]you have just heard.
[17:18.61]29. Why did the ancestors of Gypsies leave their home?
[17:40.71]30. What is the attitude of some people toward Gypsies?
[18:02.00]31. What measure has been taken to help Gypsy children?
[18:23.32]Passage Three
[18:25.83]As the car industry develops,traffic accidents
[18:31.52]have become as familiar as the common cold.
[18:34.47]Yet, their cause and control remain a serious problem
[18:40.38]that is difficult to solve.
[18:43.35]Experts have long recognized
[18:46.53]that this discouraging problem has multiple causes.
[18:50.80]At the very least,it is a problem that
[18:54.51]involves three factors:
[18:56.84]the driver,the vehicle,and the roadway.
[19:01.54]If all drivers exercised good judgement at all times,
[19:07.01]there would be few accidents.
[19:09.64]But this is rather like saying that
[19:12.71]if all people were honest,there would be no crime.
[19:16.75]Improved design has helped make highways much safer.
[19:22.88]But the tide of accidents continue to rise
[19:26.92]because of human failure and an enormous increase
[19:31.08]in the number of automobiles on the road.
[19:33.92]Attention is now turning increasingly
[19:37.54]to the third factor of the accident,the car itself.
[19:41.80]Since people assume
[19:43.77]that the accidents are bound to occur,
[19:46.72]they want to know
[19:48.37]how cars can be built better to protect the drivers.
[19:52.74]Questions 32 to 35 are based on the passage
[19:57.00]you have just heard.
[19:59.42]32. What does the speaker think of the causes
[20:05.00]of automobile accidents?
[20:21.63]33. What measure has been taken to reduce car accidents?
[20:43.42]34. What remains an important factor
[20:49.33]for the rising number of road accidents?
[21:07.28]35. What is the focus of people's attentions today
[21:13.30]according to the passage?
[21:30.43]Section C
[21:32.74]Directions: In this section,
[21:36.35]you will hear a passage three times.
[21:38.86]When the passage is read for the first time,
[21:41.82]you should listen carefully for its general idea.
[21:44.55]When the passage is read for the second time,
[21:47.73]you are required to fill in the blanks
[21:50.13]numbered from 36 to 43 with the exact words
[21:54.62]you have just heard.
[21:56.37]For blanks numbered from 44 to 46
[22:00.64]you are required to fill in the missing information.
[22:04.02]For these blanks,
[22:06.00]you can either use the exact words you have just heard
[22:09.38]or write down the main points in your own words.
[22:13.44]Finally, when the passage is read for the third time,
[22:17.49]you should check what you have written.
[22:20.84]Now listen to the passage.
[22:24.12]All that we really need to plot out the future
[22:28.05]of our universe are a few good measurements.
[22:31.23]This does not mean that we can sit down today
[22:34.40]and outline the future course of the universe
[22:37.25]with anything like certainty.
[22:39.22]There are still too many things we do not know
[22:42.94]about the way the universe is put together.
[22:46.11]But we do know exactly what information
[22:49.72]we need to fill in our knowledge,
[22:52.02]and we have a pretty good idea
[22:54.31]of how to go about getting it.
[22:56.42]Perhaps the best way to think of our present situation
[23:01.01]is to imagine a train coming into a switchyard.
[23:04.29]All of the switches are set before the train arrives,
[23:08.45]so that its path is completely determined.
[23:11.95]Some switches we can see,others we cannot.
[23:16.44]There is no doubt
[23:18.29]if we can see the setting of a switch:
[23:20.59]we can say with confidence
[23:22.45]that some possible futures will not be realized
[23:25.84]and others will.
[23:27.16]At the unseen switches,however,
[23:29.88]there is no such certainty about it.
[23:32.41]We know the train will take one of the tracks leading out,
[23:37.11]but we have no idea which one.
[23:40.29]The unseen switches are the true decision points in the future,
[23:44.99]and what happens
[23:46.52]when we arrive at them
[23:48.16]determines the entire subsequent course of events.
[23:52.10]When we think about the future of the universe,
[23:55.93]we can see our “track”
[23:57.57]many billions of years into the future,
[24:00.63]but after that there are decision points to be dealt with
[24:04.79]and possible fates to consider.
[24:07.75]The goal of science
[24:09.60]is to reduce the vagueness at the decision points
[24:13.11]and find the true road that will be followed.
[24:17.82]Now the passage will be read again.
[24:22.52]All that we really need to plot out the future
[24:26.46]of our universe are a few good measurements.
[24:29.64]This does not mean that we can sit down today
[24:32.59]and outline the future course of the universe
[24:35.55]with anything like certainty.
[24:37.62]There are still too many things we do not know
[24:41.24]about the way the universe is put together.
[24:44.41]But we do know exactly what information
[24:47.80]we need to fill in our knowledge,
[24:50.09]and we have a pretty good idea
[24:52.40]of how to go about getting it.
[24:54.58]Perhaps the best way to think of our present situation
[24:58.63]is to imagine a train coming into a switchyard.
[25:02.14]All of the switches are set before the train arrives,
[25:06.18]so that its path is completely determined.
[25:09.69]Some switches we can see,others we cannot.
[25:13.85]There is no doubt
[25:15.49]if we can see the setting of a switch:
[25:18.11]we can say with confidence
[25:19.75]that some possible futures will not be realized
[25:23.36]and others will.
[25:24.78]At the unseen switches,however,
[25:27.86]there is no such certainty about it.
[25:30.48]We know the train will take one of the tracks leading out,
[25:34.97]but we have no idea which one.
[26:27.57]The unseen switches are the true decision points in the future,
[26:32.39]and what happens
[26:33.81]when we arrive at them
[26:35.45]determines the entire subsequent course of events.
[26:39.50]When we think about the future of the universe,
[26:43.65]we can see our “track”
[26:45.07]many billions of years into the future,
[27:37.21]but after that there are decision points to be dealt with
[27:41.81]and possible fates to consider.
[27:44.65]The goal of science
[27:46.62]is to reduce the vagueness at the decision points
[27:50.45]and find the true road that will be followed.
[28:45.09]Now the passage will be read for the third time.
[28:49.36]All that we really need to plot out the future
[28:53.30]of our universe are a few good measurements.
[28:56.14]This does not mean that we can sit down today
[28:59.64]and outline the future course of the universe
[29:02.27]with anything like certainty.
[29:04.35]There are still too many things we do not know
[29:08.07]about the way the universe is put together.
[29:11.24]But we do know exactly what information
[29:14.74]we need to fill in our knowledge,
[29:17.26]and we have a pretty good idea
[29:19.56]of how to go about getting it.
[29:21.64]Perhaps the best way to think of our present situation
[29:26.13]is to imagine a train coming into a switchyard.
[29:29.74]All of the switches are set before the train arrives,
[29:33.79]so that its path is completely determined.
[29:37.18]Some switches we can see,others we cannot.
[29:41.45]There is no doubt
[29:43.42]if we can see the setting of a switch:
[29:45.83]we can say with confidence
[29:47.68]that some possible futures will not be realized
[29:50.97]and others will.
[29:52.27]At the unseen switches,however,
[29:55.12]there is no such certainty about it.
[29:57.64]We know the train will take one of the tracks leading out,
[30:02.35]but we have no idea which one.
[30:05.41]The unseen switches are the true decision points in the future,
[30:10.22]and what happens
[30:11.65]when we arrive at them
[30:13.28]determines the entire subsequent course of events.
[30:17.34]When we think about the future of the universe,
[30:21.05]we can see our “track”
[30:22.80]many billions of years into the future,
[30:25.43]but after that there are decision points to be dealt with
[30:29.91]and possible fates to consider.
[30:32.77]The goal of science
[30:34.73]is to reduce the vagueness at the decision points
[30:38.46]and find the true road that will be followed.
[30:45.46]This is the end of listening comprehension.
[00:03.82]Section A
[00:06.56]Directions: In this section,
[00:10.72]you will hear 8 short conversations and 2 long conversations.
[00:16.54]At the end of each conversation,
[00:19.15]one or more questions will be asked about what was said.
[00:23.74]Both the conversation and the questions will be spoken only once.
[00:30.19]After each question there will be a pause.
[00:34.68]During the pause,
[00:35.99]you must read the four choices marked A) , B) , C) and D) ,
[00:43.21]and decide which is the best answer.
[00:46.27]Then mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 2
[00:51.20]with a single line through the centre.
[00:54.65]Now let's begin with the 8 short coversations.
[01:01.19]11. W: George,look at the long waiting line.
[01:06.99]I am glad youve made a reservation.
[01:09.51]M: More and more people enjoy eating out now.
[01:12.67]Besides,this place is especially popular
[01:16.99]with the overseas students.
[01:18.26]Q: Where did the conversation most probably take place?
[01:38.29]12. M: I wonder if you can drop by tomorrow evening.
[01:43.98]The Stevensons are coming over for dinner.
[01:47.26]I'd like you to meet them.
[01:49.34]W: Sure,I'd love to.
[01:51.31]I've heard they are very interesting people.
[01:54.26]Q: What do we learn from the conversation?
[02:12.00]13. W: The presentation made by Professor Jackson
[02:17.80]was too complicated to understand.
[02:20.54]M: Well,I think he didn't speak slowly enough
[02:24.26]for us to take notes.
[02:26.01]Q: What is the man's complaint?
[02:43.00]14. W: You've got your apartment furnished,haven't you?
[02:48.65]M: Yes,I've bought some used furniture at the Sunday market.
[02:53.00]And it was a real bargain.
[02:55.44]Q: What does the man mean?
[03:12.99]15. M: Mary doesn't want me to take the job.
[03:18.89]She says our child is too young.
[03:21.73]And the job requires much traveling.
[03:24.47]W: You should talk to her again
[03:26.59]and see if you can find a way out.
[03:29.39]Think about the gains and losses
[03:31.69]before you make a decision.
[03:34.10]Q: What do we learn from the conversation?
[03:51.49]16. M: I haven't got my scores on the GRE test yet.
[03:59.16]Do you think I should call to make inquiries?
[04:02.22]W: There is no hurry.
[04:04.19]The test scores are released at least
[04:06.81]eight weeks after the test.
[04:08.78]Q: What does the woman advise the man to do?
[04:26.09]17. M: Have you finished reading the book
[04:31.89]you bought last month?
[04:33.42]W: Oh,I didn't read straight through the way
[04:36.27]you read a novel,
[04:37.57]I just covered a few chapters that interested me most.
[04:41.18]Q: How did the woman read the book?
[04:59.24]18. W: Hi, John.
[05:03.51]Haven't seen you for quite a while.
[05:05.70]Are you fine?
[05:07.34]M: Oh,yes, but luck seems to go against me.
[05:11.61]I had a car accident,
[05:13.69]only some minor injuries, though.
[05:16.76]Q: What happened to John?
[05:35.25]Now you will hear two long coversations.
[05:39.19]Conversation One
[05:41.16]W: Tim,did you get your ticket for the concert Friday?
[05:45.01]M: I tried to.I stopped by the ticket office
[05:49.47]on the way back from campus,
[05:51.23]but they wouldn't take my check.
[05:54.18]W: Why not?
[05:55.38]M: The cashier said
[05:56.69]I didnt have enough identification with me—
[06:00.08]a student ID card wasn't enough.
[06:02.82]He said I needed a driver's license,too.
[06:06.32]W: What happened to yours?
[06:08.18]Did you lose it,or just forget to bring it with you?
[06:12.01]M: I dont have one.You know me—
[06:14.53]I ride my bicycle everywhere I go,
[06:17.81]so why do I need a driver's license?
[06:21.09]W: You could still get an official identification card
[06:25.36]from the state and use that to cash checks.
[06:28.97]M: Where do I get one of those?
[06:31.27]W: At the same place you get a drivers license,
[06:34.54]the Bureau of Motor Vehicles.
[06:36.96]M: Is that office downtown?
[06:38.82]W: No, it's out on Southland Parkway,
[06:41.99]next to the Midvale Shopping Mall.
[06:44.39]M: What do you think I'll need to do to get one?
[06:48.23]W: Just bring some official document
[06:50.30]that has your date of birth on it.
[06:52.60]You could use a passport,for example.
[06:55.23]M: I'll ride out there tomorrow.
[06:57.63]W: Good idea.And I'll tell you what,Tim—
[07:00.41]if you promise to cash a check as soon as you can,
[07:04.23]I'll let you borrow some money,
[07:06.21]and you can go get that ticket.
[07:08.83]Questions 19 to 22 are based on the conversation
[07:14.53]you have just heard.
[07:16.60]19. According to the conversation,
[07:20.75]why was Tim unable to buy the ticket?
[07:38.93]20. Why doesn't Tim have a drivers license?
[08:00.00]21. What does the woman suggest Tim bring
[08:05.10]when he goes to the Bureau of Motor Vehicles?
[08:23.48]22. What does the woman offer to do for the man?
[08:44.06]Conversation Two
[08:46.58]M: Want to go out and get something to eat?
[08:49.96]W: I can't.I have a chemistry midterm on Monday
[08:53.58]and a German exam on Tuesday.
[08:56.20]M: I have a geology exam Monday myself,
[08:59.71]but I think I'm ready for it.
[09:02.11]W: What kind of exam is it going to be—
[09:04.84]multiple choice or essay?
[09:07.26]M: Neither.
[09:08.02]The professor is going to give us a mineral sample
[09:11.19]and we have to identify it.
[09:13.81]W: How do you do that?
[09:15.46]I mean,a rock's a rock,isn't it?
[09:17.97]M: Actually,there are a lot of tests
[09:20.71]you can perform on minerals to help you figure out
[09:24.21]what they are.Probably the first tests Ill do
[09:27.93]are scratch tests.When you do a scratch test,
[09:30.99]you rub the sample on a known mineral
[09:34.38]to see if the unknown mineral
[09:36.24]scratches the known mineral or vice versa.
[09:39.74]That tells you the relative hardness of the sample.
[09:43.35]W: What other tests will you do?
[09:45.32]M: I'll probably do a streak test next.
[09:48.94]In that test,you rub an unknown mineral
[09:52.76]against a piece of china to see what color the streak is.
[09:57.14]W: Why can't you just look at the mineral
[09:59.98]to see what color it is?
[10:02.06]M: Well,you can,
[10:03.49]but sometimes a mineral has some other substance in it,
[10:07.98]and the substance can change its color.
[10:10.71]But a streak test shows the minerals true color.
[10:14.10]Then theres always the specific gravity test,
[10:17.16]the blowpipe test...oh,and...
[10:20.00]W: And after you've done all these tests,
[10:22.63]can you positively identify any mineral?
[10:26.13]M: Well, usually...but not always.
[10:29.42]I just hope I can on Monday!
[10:32.26]Questions 23 to 25 are based on the conversation
[10:37.00]you have just heard.
[10:39.49]23. What type of exam is the man taking on Monday?
[11:00.40]24. According to the man,
[11:03.91]what does a streak test show about a mineral?
[11:22.18]25. What does the man imply
[11:26.35]about the tests used to identify minerals?
[11:44.99]Section B
[11:47.47]Directions: In this section, you will hear 3 short passages.
[11:53.61]At the end of each passage, you will hear some questions.
[11:57.43]Both the passage and the questions will be spoken only once.
[12:02.26]After you hear a question,
[12:04.22]you must choose the best answer from the four choices
[12:07.83]marked A) , B) , C) and D).
[12:17.24]Then mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 2
[12:20.19]with a single line through the centre.
[12:20.65]Passage One
[12:22.73]A friend of mine told me that when he was a young man,
[12:27.98]he went to work as a teacher in one of the states of India.
[12:32.79]One day,he received an invitation to dinner
[12:37.39]at the ruler's palace.
[12:39.03]Very pleased,he went to tell his colleagues.
[12:43.19]They laughed,and told him the meaning of the invitation.
[12:48.55]They had all been invited,
[12:50.85]and each person who was invited had to bring with him
[12:55.33]a certain number of silver and gold coins.
[12:59.49]The number of coins varied according to the person's position
[13:05.29]in the service of the government.
[13:07.69]My friend's income was not high,
[13:10.86]so he did not have much to pay.
[13:14.04]Each person bowed before the ruler,
[13:17.43]his gold went onto one heap,
[13:20.71]his silver went onto another heap.
[13:23.56]And in this way he paid his income tax for the year.
[13:28.37]This was a simple way of collecting income tax.
[13:33.84]The tax on property was also collected simply.
[13:39.32]The ruler gave a man the power
[13:43.03]to collect a tax from each owner of land or property
[13:47.84]in a certain area,
[13:49.37]if this man promised to pay the ruler a certain amount of money.
[13:54.74]Of course, the tax collector managed to collect more money
[14:00.75]than he paid to the ruler.
[14:03.60]The difference between the sum of money he collected
[14:07.87]and the sum of money he gave to the ruler was his profit.
[14:13.89]Questions 26 to 28 are based on the passage you have just heard.
[14:20.89]26. What do we know about the speaker's friend?
[14:40.19]27. What was the real purpose of the ruler's invitation?
[14:59.62]28. What does the passage say about the tax collectors?
[15:11.34]Passage Two
[15:13.20]Around the year 1000 A.D,
[15:17.46]some people from northwest India began to travel westwards.
[15:23.37]Nobody knows why.
[15:25.01]After leaving their homes,
[15:27.75]they did not settle down again,
[15:30.26]but spent their lives moving from one place to another.
[15:35.42]Their later generations are called the Romany people,
[15:40.79]or Gypsies.
[15:42.32]There are Gypsies all over the world,
[15:45.60]and many of them are still travelling with no fixed homes.
[15:50.63]There are about 8 million of them,
[15:54.25]including 3 million in eastern Europe.
[15:58.18]Gypsies sometimes have a hard time in the countries
[16:03.66]where they travel,because they are different.
[16:06.93]People may be afraid of them,look down on them,
[16:10.55]or think that they are criminals.
[16:13.28]The Nazies treated the Gypsies cruelly,
[16:17.98]like the Jews,and nobody knows
[16:21.16]how many of them died in Hitler's death camps.
[16:25.43]Gypsies have their own language,Romany.
[16:30.13]They liked music and dancing.
[16:32.86]And they often work in fairs and travelling shows.
[16:36.81]Travelling is very important to them,
[16:40.63]and many Gypsies are unhappy
[16:43.03]if they have to stay in one place.
[16:46.21]Because of this,
[16:47.74]it is difficult for Gypsy children to go to school,
[16:51.68]and Gypsies are often unable to read and write.
[16:56.38]In some places, the education authorities
[17:00.55]try to arrange special travelling schools for Gypsy children,
[17:05.03]so that they can get the same education as other children.
[17:11.05]Questions 29 to 31 are based on the passage
[17:16.00]you have just heard.
[17:18.61]29. Why did the ancestors of Gypsies leave their home?
[17:40.71]30. What is the attitude of some people toward Gypsies?
[18:02.00]31. What measure has been taken to help Gypsy children?
[18:23.32]Passage Three
[18:25.83]As the car industry develops,traffic accidents
[18:31.52]have become as familiar as the common cold.
[18:34.47]Yet, their cause and control remain a serious problem
[18:40.38]that is difficult to solve.
[18:43.35]Experts have long recognized
[18:46.53]that this discouraging problem has multiple causes.
[18:50.80]At the very least,it is a problem that
[18:54.51]involves three factors:
[18:56.84]the driver,the vehicle,and the roadway.
[19:01.54]If all drivers exercised good judgement at all times,
[19:07.01]there would be few accidents.
[19:09.64]But this is rather like saying that
[19:12.71]if all people were honest,there would be no crime.
[19:16.75]Improved design has helped make highways much safer.
[19:22.88]But the tide of accidents continue to rise
[19:26.92]because of human failure and an enormous increase
[19:31.08]in the number of automobiles on the road.
[19:33.92]Attention is now turning increasingly
[19:37.54]to the third factor of the accident,the car itself.
[19:41.80]Since people assume
[19:43.77]that the accidents are bound to occur,
[19:46.72]they want to know
[19:48.37]how cars can be built better to protect the drivers.
[19:52.74]Questions 32 to 35 are based on the passage
[19:57.00]you have just heard.
[19:59.42]32. What does the speaker think of the causes
[20:05.00]of automobile accidents?
[20:21.63]33. What measure has been taken to reduce car accidents?
[20:43.42]34. What remains an important factor
[20:49.33]for the rising number of road accidents?
[21:07.28]35. What is the focus of people's attentions today
[21:13.30]according to the passage?
[21:30.43]Section C
[21:32.74]Directions: In this section,
[21:36.35]you will hear a passage three times.
[21:38.86]When the passage is read for the first time,
[21:41.82]you should listen carefully for its general idea.
[21:44.55]When the passage is read for the second time,
[21:47.73]you are required to fill in the blanks
[21:50.13]numbered from 36 to 43 with the exact words
[21:54.62]you have just heard.
[21:56.37]For blanks numbered from 44 to 46
[22:00.64]you are required to fill in the missing information.
[22:04.02]For these blanks,
[22:06.00]you can either use the exact words you have just heard
[22:09.38]or write down the main points in your own words.
[22:13.44]Finally, when the passage is read for the third time,
[22:17.49]you should check what you have written.
[22:20.84]Now listen to the passage.
[22:24.12]All that we really need to plot out the future
[22:28.05]of our universe are a few good measurements.
[22:31.23]This does not mean that we can sit down today
[22:34.40]and outline the future course of the universe
[22:37.25]with anything like certainty.
[22:39.22]There are still too many things we do not know
[22:42.94]about the way the universe is put together.
[22:46.11]But we do know exactly what information
[22:49.72]we need to fill in our knowledge,
[22:52.02]and we have a pretty good idea
[22:54.31]of how to go about getting it.
[22:56.42]Perhaps the best way to think of our present situation
[23:01.01]is to imagine a train coming into a switchyard.
[23:04.29]All of the switches are set before the train arrives,
[23:08.45]so that its path is completely determined.
[23:11.95]Some switches we can see,others we cannot.
[23:16.44]There is no doubt
[23:18.29]if we can see the setting of a switch:
[23:20.59]we can say with confidence
[23:22.45]that some possible futures will not be realized
[23:25.84]and others will.
[23:27.16]At the unseen switches,however,
[23:29.88]there is no such certainty about it.
[23:32.41]We know the train will take one of the tracks leading out,
[23:37.11]but we have no idea which one.
[23:40.29]The unseen switches are the true decision points in the future,
[23:44.99]and what happens
[23:46.52]when we arrive at them
[23:48.16]determines the entire subsequent course of events.
[23:52.10]When we think about the future of the universe,
[23:55.93]we can see our “track”
[23:57.57]many billions of years into the future,
[24:00.63]but after that there are decision points to be dealt with
[24:04.79]and possible fates to consider.
[24:07.75]The goal of science
[24:09.60]is to reduce the vagueness at the decision points
[24:13.11]and find the true road that will be followed.
[24:17.82]Now the passage will be read again.
[24:22.52]All that we really need to plot out the future
[24:26.46]of our universe are a few good measurements.
[24:29.64]This does not mean that we can sit down today
[24:32.59]and outline the future course of the universe
[24:35.55]with anything like certainty.
[24:37.62]There are still too many things we do not know
[24:41.24]about the way the universe is put together.
[24:44.41]But we do know exactly what information
[24:47.80]we need to fill in our knowledge,
[24:50.09]and we have a pretty good idea
[24:52.40]of how to go about getting it.
[24:54.58]Perhaps the best way to think of our present situation
[24:58.63]is to imagine a train coming into a switchyard.
[25:02.14]All of the switches are set before the train arrives,
[25:06.18]so that its path is completely determined.
[25:09.69]Some switches we can see,others we cannot.
[25:13.85]There is no doubt
[25:15.49]if we can see the setting of a switch:
[25:18.11]we can say with confidence
[25:19.75]that some possible futures will not be realized
[25:23.36]and others will.
[25:24.78]At the unseen switches,however,
[25:27.86]there is no such certainty about it.
[25:30.48]We know the train will take one of the tracks leading out,
[25:34.97]but we have no idea which one.
[26:27.57]The unseen switches are the true decision points in the future,
[26:32.39]and what happens
[26:33.81]when we arrive at them
[26:35.45]determines the entire subsequent course of events.
[26:39.50]When we think about the future of the universe,
[26:43.65]we can see our “track”
[26:45.07]many billions of years into the future,
[27:37.21]but after that there are decision points to be dealt with
[27:41.81]and possible fates to consider.
[27:44.65]The goal of science
[27:46.62]is to reduce the vagueness at the decision points
[27:50.45]and find the true road that will be followed.
[28:45.09]Now the passage will be read for the third time.
[28:49.36]All that we really need to plot out the future
[28:53.30]of our universe are a few good measurements.
[28:56.14]This does not mean that we can sit down today
[28:59.64]and outline the future course of the universe
[29:02.27]with anything like certainty.
[29:04.35]There are still too many things we do not know
[29:08.07]about the way the universe is put together.
[29:11.24]But we do know exactly what information
[29:14.74]we need to fill in our knowledge,
[29:17.26]and we have a pretty good idea
[29:19.56]of how to go about getting it.
[29:21.64]Perhaps the best way to think of our present situation
[29:26.13]is to imagine a train coming into a switchyard.
[29:29.74]All of the switches are set before the train arrives,
[29:33.79]so that its path is completely determined.
[29:37.18]Some switches we can see,others we cannot.
[29:41.45]There is no doubt
[29:43.42]if we can see the setting of a switch:
[29:45.83]we can say with confidence
[29:47.68]that some possible futures will not be realized
[29:50.97]and others will.
[29:52.27]At the unseen switches,however,
[29:55.12]there is no such certainty about it.
[29:57.64]We know the train will take one of the tracks leading out,
[30:02.35]but we have no idea which one.
[30:05.41]The unseen switches are the true decision points in the future,
[30:10.22]and what happens
[30:11.65]when we arrive at them
[30:13.28]determines the entire subsequent course of events.
[30:17.34]When we think about the future of the universe,
[30:21.05]we can see our “track”
[30:22.80]many billions of years into the future,
[30:25.43]but after that there are decision points to be dealt with
[30:29.91]and possible fates to consider.
[30:32.77]The goal of science
[30:34.73]is to reduce the vagueness at the decision points
[30:38.46]and find the true road that will be followed.
[30:45.46]This is the end of listening comprehension.