Part III Listening Comprehension
Section A

11.
M: I’d like to go camping with you this weekend, but I don’t have a sleeping bag.
W: No problem. You can count on me to get one for you. My family has tons of camping gear.
Q: What does the woman mean?

答案:She can lend the man a sleeping bag.
【解析】这是一道较为简单的推理题,前提是考生需知道camping gear表示“野餐用具,露营装备”,由此可知,camping gear包括sleeping bag,即女士能借给男士一个睡袋,此题的设置稍微绕了个小弯,为考生解题设置了一定难度。go camping:去野餐,去露营;sleeping bag:睡袋。

12.
M: I know I promise to drive you to the airport next Thursday, but I’m afraid something has come up. They’ve called a special meeting at work.
W: No big deal. Karen said she was available as a back-up.
Q: What does the woman mean?

答案: Karen can take her to the airport.
【解析】此题为细节题。从对话中可知,男士下周四临时有事不能送女士去机场了,女士回答说Karen有空。back-up:n. 备用,备份,考生如果知道这个单词的意思,对整个对话的理解会有帮助。

13.
W: Have you saved enough money for a trip to Hawaii?
M: Not even close. My uncle must put the brakes on my travelling plans.
Q: What does the man mean?
答案:He can’t afford to go traveling yet.
【解析】此题为推理题。从男士的回答“我叔叔对我的旅行计划加以限制了。”中可推断出,这位男士还没有足够的钱去旅行。put the brakes on sth.表示“对……加以限制”,即使考生不知道这个短语的引申含义,但听到brake“刹车”应该也能大概判断出来答案。

14.
M: I’m starving. Do we still have any pie left from the dinner yesterday?
W: Oh, Julia invited her friends over in the afternoon and they ate it all.
Q: What do we learn from the conversation?
答案:The man has to find something else to eat.
【解析】此题为简单的推理题。从对话中可知,女士回答说Julie下午邀请了她的朋友,他们把剩的饼都吃光了,由此可推断出这位男士不得不找别的东西吃。starving:adj. 饥饿的。

15.
W: Three letters of recommendation are required to apply to graduate schools. I was wondering if the one professor Smith wrote for me last year could still be used.
M: It’s a bit dated. You’d better submit a recent one.
Q: What does the man suggest the woman do?
答案:Present a new letter of reference.
【解析】此题为细节题。只要考生抓住这位男士回答中的关键词dated和recent,就不难找出正确答案,而且,整个答句也很短,均是简单句,易于考生理解。letter of recommendation和letter of reference意思相似,均可表示“推荐信”。

16.
W: I’ve noticed that you spend a lot of time tending your garden. Would you like to join our gardening club? We meet every other Wednesday.
M: Oh, thanks for the invitation, but this is how I relax. I’d rather not make it something formal and structured.
Q: What can we infer about the man?
答案:He declines to join the gardening club.
【解析】此题为暗示推理题,有一定难度。抓住问题中的关键词“infer”,这位男士暗示了什么?从男士的回答“谢谢邀请,但这是我放松的方式,我宁愿我的花园不那么条条框框”中可推断出,这位男士间接拒绝了参加园艺俱乐部的邀请。

17.
M: I heard the recent sculpture exhibit was kind of disappointing.
W: That’s right. I guess a lot of other people feel the way I do about modern art.
Q: What does the woman mean?
答案:Many people do not appreciate modern art.
【解析】此题为简单的推理题。只要考生能理解女士的回答“我猜许多其他人对现代艺术和我的感觉是一样的。”,即可选出答案,而且答句中没有一个生难单词。sculpture exhibit:雕塑展。

18.
M: Bob is running for chairman of the student union. Would you vote for him?
W: Oh, I can’t decide right now because I have to find out more about the other candidates.
Q: What does the woman mean?
答案:Bob cannot count on her vote.
【解析】此题为推理题。这位女士回答说她现在还没决定选谁,因为她还要看看其他候选人的资料和表现,由此可推断出,Bob不能依赖这位女士的选票。run for:竞选;chairman of the student union:学生会主席;vote for:投票赞成。

Conversation One
W: I don’t know what to do. I can’t seem to get anyone in the hospital to listen to my complaints and this outdated equipment is dangerous. Just look at it.
M: Hmm, uh, are you trying to say that it presents a health hazard?
W: Yes, I am. The head technician in the lab tried to persuade the hospital administration to replace it, but they are trying to cut costs.
M: You are pregnant, aren’t you?
W: Yes, I am. I made an effort to get my supervisor to transfer me to another department, but he urged me not to complain too loudly. Because the administration is more likely to replace me than an X-ray equipment, I’m afraid to refuse to work. But I’m more afraid to expose my unborn child to the radiation.
M: I see what you mean. Well, as your union representative, I have to warn you that it would take quite a while to force management to replace the old machines and attempt to get you transferred may or may not be successful.
W: Oh, what am I supposed to do then?
M: Workers have the legal right to refuse certain unsafe work assignments under two federal laws, the Occupation or Safety and Health Act and the National Labor Relations Act. But the requirements of either of the Acts may be difficult to meet.
W: Do you think I have a good case?
M: If you do lose your job, the union will fight to get it back for you along with back pay, your lost income. But you have to be prepared for a long wait, maybe after two years.

Q19. What does the woman complain about?
Q20. What has the woman asked her supervisor to do?
Q21. What does the man say about the two federal laws?
Q22. What will the union do if the woman loses her job?

【答案】
19. The health hazard at her work place.
20. Transfer her to another department.
21. Their requirements may be difficult to meet.
22. Try to help her to get it back.

点评:
本篇长对话是关于一名怀孕的员工就工作中的辐射伤害向工会投诉。对话一开篇女士先抱怨自己工作的医院无人听她申诉有关机器已过时,会造成身体伤害的问题,因为医院想要降低成本。然后她提到自己有向主管提出转调部门的要求,然而遭到拒绝。主管还告诫她,医院宁愿换掉她,让他人工作,也不会更换机器。于是工会代表告诉她转调部门确实可能不会成功。同时要想利用目前的法案来解决这一问题,也会很难实现。最后指出,除非她真正丢失工作,工会才能拿起法律武器帮她讨薪。

本对话考生虽然对辐射造成身体伤害的话题并不陌生,但整个对话中部分单词可能还是会造成不少听力困扰。比如:health hazard(健康伤害)中的hazard;X-ray equipment(X光仪器)中的X-ray和两大法案的名称虽不难,但也容易混淆大家的视听,而误抓重点。

Conversation Two

W: Mr. Green, is it fair to say that negotiation is an art?
M: Well, I think it’s both an art and science. You can prepare for a negotiation quite scientifically, but the execution of the negotiation has quite a lot to do with one’s artistic quality. The scientific part of a negotiation is in determining your strategy. What do you want out of it? What can you give? Then of course there are tactics. How do you go about it? Do you take an opening position in a negotiation which differs from the eventual goal you are heading for? And then of course there are the behavioral aspects.
W: What do you mean by the behavioral aspects?
M: Well, that’s I think where the art comes in. In your behavior, you can either be an actor. You can pretend that you don’t like things which you are actually quite pleased about. Or you can pretend to like things which you are quite happy to do without. Or you can be the honest type negotiator who’s known to his partners in negotiation and always plays everything straight. But the artistic part of negotiation I think has to do with responding immediately to cues one gets in the process of negotiation. These can be verbal cues or even body language. This is where the artistic quality comes in.
W: So really, you see two types of negotiator then, the actor or the honest one.
M: That’ right. And both can work. I would say the honest negotiator can be quite effective in some circumstances. In other circumstances you need an actor.

Q23. When is a scientific approach best embodied in a negotiation according to the man?
Q24. In what way is a negotiator like an actor according to the man?
Q25. What does the man say about the two types of negotiator?

【答案】
23. In the preparatory phase.
24. He behaves in a way contrary to his real intention.
25. Both can succeed depending on the specific situation.

【点评】
本长对话主要是关于谈判的艺术性和科学性。谈判的科学性部分主要体现在谈判策略,而谈判的艺术性则体现在表现上。这里可以归为两类,一是“演技派”,二是“诚实派”。另外,谈判的艺术性还与对谈判过程中获得的口头暗示、肢体语言进行及时反应有关。最后男士指出根据不同场合,无论是“诚实派”,或是“演技派”谈判者都能起到各自的效果。

本对话中的关键词有:negotiation:谈判;strategy:策略;behavioral:行为的。

Section B

Passage 1
A scientific team is studying the thinking ability of eleven and half month old children. The test is a simple one. The baby watches a sort of show on a small stage. In Act One of the show, a yellow cube is lifted from a blue box, and moved across the stage. Then it is returned to the box. This is repeated 6 times. Act Two is similar except that the yellow cube is smaller. Baby boys do not react at all to the difference and the size of the cube. But girls immediately become excited. The scientists interpret the girls’ excitement as meaning they are trying to understand what they have just seen. They are wondering why Act Two is odd and how it differs from Act One. In other words, the little girls are reasoning. This experiment certainly does not definitely prove that girls start to reason before boys, but it provides a clue that scientists would like to study more carefully. Already it is known that bones, muscles and nerves develop faster in baby girls. Perhaps it is early nerve development that makes some infant girls show more intelligence than infant boys. Scientists have also found that nature seems to give another boost to girls. Baby girls usually talk at an earlier age than boys do. Scientists think that there is a physical reason for this. They believe that the nerve endings in the left side of the brain develop faster in girls than in boys, and it is this side of the brain that strongly influences an individual’s ability to use language and remember things.

Q26. What is the difference between Act One and Act Two in the test?
答案:The size of the objects shown.

Q27. How do the scientists interpret their observation from the experiment?
答案: Girls seem to start reasoning earlier than boys.

Q28. What does the speaker say about the experiment?
答案: It may simulate scientists to make further studies.

Q29. According to scientists, what is another advantage given to girls by nature?

答案: They talk at an early age.

【点评】
本文是一篇关于幼儿思维能力的文章。… but it provides a clue that… 一句前都是具体的实验过程,是一个例子,重点在实验为科学研究提供的线索。实验发现可能是早期的神经发育使女婴比男婴更聪明。科学家们还发现,自然可能还给了女孩另一大优势,那就是女孩通常比男孩早开口说话,而这也是因为神经末梢发育快于男孩。
关键词:interpret v. 解释;翻译boost n. 推动,帮助

Passage 2

A super attendant of the city municipal building, Dillia Adorno, was responsible for presenting its new security plan to the public. City employees, citizens and reporters gathered in the hall to hear her describe the plan. After outlining the main points she would cover, she assured the audience that she would be happy to answer questions at the end of her presentation. Dillia realized the plan was expensive and potentially controversial. So she was not surprised to see a number of hands go up as soon as she finished speaking. An employ asked, “Would the new system create long lines to get into the building like the line in the airport security checks?” Dillia had anticipated this question and had an answer ready. After repeating the question, she explained that the sufficient number of security guards would be working at peak hours to speed things along. The next question was more confrontational.”Where was the money come from to pay for all of this?”The journalists who ask the question seem hostile. But Dillia was careful not to adopt the defensive tone. She stated that the money would come from the city’s general budget. “I know these are tide times”, she added, “But everyone agrees on the importance of safe guarding our employees and members of the public who come into the building.” Near the end of the 25 minutes she has said, Dillia said she would take two more questions. When those were finished, she concluded the session with a brief restatement of how the new system will improve security and peace of mind in the municipal building.
Question 30 to 32 are based on the passage you have just heard.

30. What is the focus of Dillia Adorno’s presentation?
答案:The new security plan for the municipal building.

31. What question had Dillia Adorno anticipated?
答案: Whether the security checks would create long queues at peak hours.

32. What did the speakers think of the question from the journalist?
答案: Confrontational

【点评】
本文描写一位政府官员介绍了一项新的安保计划,并回答了在场人员的提问,类似于一场新闻发布会。计划成本较高,而且可能颇具争议。本文详细阐述了两个提问。第一个问题是Dillia预见到的,但第二个记者的提问是有对抗性的,即使confrontational这个词我们听不懂也没关系,可以从下文的其他词汇中推断,如hostile 有敌意的,而针对这个问题,Dillia让自己尽可能不采取defensive的态度,既然要采取防卫的态度,那记者的提问一定是在政府的对立面的,因此从defensive一词也可以判断出记者的态度。
关键词:attendant n. 随员 confrontational adj. 对抗性的 hostile,defensive

Passage 3
Despite unemployment and the lost of her home, Andrea Clark considers herself a blessed and happy woman. Why the cheerful attitude? Her troubles have brought her closer to her family. Last year, Andrea’s husband, Rick, a miner in Nevada was laid off. Though Andrea kept her job as a school bus driver, she knew that they couldn’t pay their bill and support their youngest of five children, Zack, age nine, on one income. “At first their church helped out, but you can’t keep that up forever”, Andrea says. Then Michal, their eldest of her four adult children suggested they move in with his family. For almost three months, seven Clarks lived under one roof. Andrea, Rick and Zack stayed in the basement department, sharing laundry and single bathroom with Michal, his wife and their two children.
The change cut their expenditures in half, but the new living arrangement proved too challenging. When Andrea found a job with a school district closer to her mother’s home in west Jorden, Utah, the family decided to move on. Packing up again with no picnic, Zack had to switch schools for the second time and space is even tighter. Andrea says that the moves themselves are exhausting and Rick is still looking for a job.
The recession has certainly come with more problems than Andrea anticipated, but she remains unfailingly optimistic. She is excited to spend more time with her mother. Another plus, rents are lower in Utah than in Nevada. So Andrea thinks they’ll be able to save up and move out in less than 6 months.

Questions 33-35 are based on the passage you have just heard.
Q33 What do we learn about Andrea’s husband?
答案:He used to work as a miner in Nevada.

Q34 Why did Andrea move to live in her eldest son’s home?
答案:To cut their living expenses.

Q35 What is Andrea’s attitude toward the hardships brought by the economic recession?

答案:Optimistic.

【点评】
本文描写了Andrea一家在经历失业时依然乐观向上的积极状态。这从文章的首句Despite unemployment and the lost of her home, Andrea Clark considers herself a blessed and happy woman.和最后一段but she remains unfailingly optimistic.都能得到印证。Andrea的丈夫是内华达的矿工,去年失业,为了维持生计,他们先是和大儿子一家住在一起,后来又搬家到犹他州,她的丈夫还在继续找工作。但是经济衰退,并没有让Andrea消极,她觉得自己和家人的关系更紧密了并且相信自己能够度过难关。
关键词:lay off 解雇;expenditure n. 支出,花费;optimistic adj. 乐观的

Section C

Mountain climbing is becoming a popular sport, but it is also a potentially dangerous one. People can fall. They may also become ill. One of the most common dangers to climbers is altitude sickness, which can affect even very experienced climbers. Altitude sickness usually begins when a climber goes above 8,000 to 9,000 feet. The higher one climbs, the less oxygen there is in the air. When people don’t get enough oxygen, they often begin to gasp for air. They may also feel dizzy and light-headed. Besides these symptoms of altitude sickness, others such as headache and fatigue may also occur. At heights of over 18,000 feet, people may be climbing in a constant daze. Their state of mind can have adverse affect on their judgment. A few precautions can help most climbers avoid altitude sickness. The first is not to go too high, too fast. If you climb to 10,000 feet, stay at that height for a day or two. Your body needs to get used to a high altitude before you climb to a even higher one. Or if you do climb higher sooner, come back down to a lower height when you sleep. Also, drink plenty of liquids and avoid tobacco and alcohol. When you reach your top height, do like activities rather than sleep too much. You breathe less when you sleep, so you get less oxygen. The most important warning is this: if you have severe symptoms, then don’t go away, go down. Don’t risk injury or death because of over-confidence or lack of knowledge.

36. potentially
37. experienced
38. gasp
39. dizzy
40. fatigue
41. constant
42. adverse
43. precautions
44. Your body needs to get used to a high altitude before you climb to a even higher one.
45. When you reach your top height, do like activities rather than sleep too much.
46. Don’t risk injury or death because of over-confidence or lack of knowledge.

【点评】
本文是有关高原病的,主要讲述了高原病的症状以及预防措施。文章本身长难句不多,但出现了较多偏难单词,考验学生的临场心态。
需填单词难度较大,如dizzy,fatigue,adverse,altitude等,对学生的词汇量要求颇高。
空格整体分布较为均匀,填写时间比较充足。所填词语格式比较重要,如-s等是不可漏过的细节。需填写的句子均较短,难度不是特别大。