Conversation One

【听力原文】
M: When I say I live in Sweden, people always want to know about the seasons.
W: The seasons?
M: Yeah, you know how cold it is in winter? What is it like when the days are so short?
W: So what is it like?
M: Well, it is cold, very cold in winter. Sometimes it is cold as 26 degrees below centigrade. And of course when you go out, you’ll wrap up warm. But inside in the houses it’s always very warm, much warmer than at home. Swedish people always complain that when they visit England, the houses are cold even in the good winter.
W: And what about the darkness?
M: Well, yeah, around Christmas time there’s only one hour of daylight, so you really looks forward to the spring. It is sometimes a bit depressing. But you see the summers are amazing, from May to July in the North of Sweden the sun never sets. It’s still light in the midnight. You can walk in the mountains and read a newspaper.
W: Oh, yeah, the land of the midnight sun.
M: Yeah, that’s right, but it’s wonderful. You want to stay up all night, and the Sweden’s made most of it. Often they started work earlier in summer and then leave at about 2 or 3 in the afternoon, so that they can really enjoy the long summer evenings. They’d like to work hard, but play hard, too. I think Londoners work longer hours, but I’m not sure this is a good thing.
【听力材料评析】这篇长对话是围绕瑞典的天气展开，主要谈到瑞典冬天的极寒和夏天的极昼天气。文章一开头即说到人们喜欢询问瑞典的季节情况。接下来对具体情况进行了描述，包括：极寒天气下的气温、室外和室内温度状况，另外，就瑞典室温与英国室温进行了对比，再次强调证明瑞典室温很高；而极昼天气则谈的是瑞典人的工作时间和工作习惯，另外，就瑞典人工作时认真忙、能玩时拼命玩的习惯和英国人工作勤奋、工作时间长进行了对比。
这篇对话考查细节信息抓取能力。整体难度不大，并且以男士提供的信息为主。但许多考生可能因为对瑞典（Sweden）和与瑞典相关的一系列名词不熟悉而纠结，因此忽略了真正需要听清的其实并不太难的关键信息。这就提醒大家在做题时，切勿因为个别词语不熟悉，而慌张。

19.
A）He likes Sweden better than England.
B）He prefers hot weather to cold weather.
C）He is an English living in Sweden.
D）He visits London nearly every winter.
19. What do we learn about the man from the conversation?
【答案】B）He prefers hot weather to cold weather.
【解析】本题为推断题。根据文章大意可推断得出。整篇文章中，分别有两处暗示信息，一处是男士说，“Swedish people always complain that when they visit England, the houses are cold even in the good winter.”，瑞典人在冬天去拜访英格兰时，会抱怨英格兰室温太冷。另一处是男士在谈到冬天天气时，说道：“It is sometimes a bit depressing.”长时间寒冷的天气令人沮丧。因此可推断得出，男士更喜欢hot weather，热天气。所以，答案为：He prefers hot weather to cold weather.

20.
A）The bad weather
B）The cold houses.
C）The gloomy winter.
D）The long night.
20. What do Swedish people complain about when they visit England in winter?
【答案】B）The cold houses.
【解析】对话中，当男士介绍瑞典的极寒天气时，谈到只要穿暖，出门很暖，而室内更暖和，为了强调这一观点，男士继续说道：“Swedish people always complain that when they visit England, the houses are cold even in the good winter.”说是瑞典人在冬天去拜访英格兰时，会抱怨英格兰室温太冷。所以，答案为：The cold houses.

21.
A）Delightful.
B）Painful.
C）Depressing.
D）Refreshing.
21. How does the man describe the short hour of daylight around Christmas in Sweden?
【答案】C）Depressing.
【解析】女士问：“And what about the darkness?”男士答道：“around Christmas time there’s only one hour of daylight, so you really looks forward to the spring.”临近圣诞节的时候，每天仅有一小时为白天，所以人们都非常向往春天，希望春天快点到来。然后，进一步强调性地评论道：“It is sometimes a bit depressing.”有时候真有点令人沮丧。因此，本题答案为：Depressing.

22.
A）They often stay up late reading.
B)They work hard and play hard.
C) They like to go camping in summer.
D) They try to earn more and spend more.
22. What does the man say about the Swedish people?
【答案】B）They work hard and play hard.
【解析】男士在谈到瑞典的极昼天气时，着重谈了瑞典人在极昼天气的工作情况，并进一步对瑞典人的工作习惯进行了评价。男士说道：“They’d like to work hard, but play hard, too.”瑞典人既能在工作时努力工作，又能在能玩时拼命玩。所以，本题答案为：They work hard and play hard.

Conversation Two
【听力原文】
Questions 23 to 25 are based on the conversation you have just heard.
W: What kind of training does one need to go into this type of job?
M: That’s a very good question. I don’t think there is any, specifically.
W: For example, in your case, what was your educational background?
M: Well, I did a degree in French at Nottingham. After that, I did careers work in secondary schools like the careers guidance people here is in the university. Then I went into local government because I found I was more interested in the administrative side. Then progressed on to universities. So there wasn’t any plan and there was no specific training. There are plenty of training courses in management techniques and committee work which you can attend now.
W: But in the first place, you did a French degree.
M: In my time, there wasn’t a degree you could do for administration. I think most of the administrators I’ve come across have degrees and all sorts of things.
W: Well, I know in my case, I did an English literature degree and I didn’t really expect to end up doing what I am doing now.
M: Quite.
W: But you are local to Nottingham, actually? Is there any reason why you went to Nottingham University?
M: No, no, I come from the north of England, from west Yorkshire. Nottingham was one of the universities I put on my list. And I like the look of it. The campus is just beautiful.
W: Yes, indeed. Let’s see. Were you from the industrial part of Yorkshire?
M: Yes, from the Woolen District.
【听力材料评析】这篇长对话围绕男士的教育背景和职业发展展开。按顺序分别谈到男士从诺丁汉大学法语专业，毕业之后去了中学和政府工作，然后又进入了大学管理层。这期间，他并没有刻意做过任何的职业发展计划，也没有接受过专门的相关职业培训，主要是因为在他的读书时代，并没有可攻读的管理学学位。对话最后谈到了男士去诺丁汉大学读书的原因是被其校园的优美风景所吸引。
这篇对话有一定难度。特别是关于男士职业的说法，考生未必熟悉。但考生不必紧张，因为主要的细节考查中，专业是法语、因为环境优雅所以选择诺丁汉大学这两题都不难听出。

23. A）Management.
B）French
C）English literature
D）Public Administration
23. What was the man’s major at university?
【答案】B）French.
【解析】细节题。在第二轮对话中，女士问，“what was your educational background?”你是什么教育背景，男士回答说：“I did a degree in French at Nottingham.” 我在诺丁汉大学攻读了法语学位，所以男士的专业是French。

24. A）English teaching.
B）Staff training.
C）Careers guidance.
D）Psychological counseling
24. What was the man’s job in secondary schools?
【答案】C）careers guidance.
【解析】细节题。在说完“I did a degree in French at Nottingham.”之后，男士又接着说“After that, I did careers guidance in secondary schools.”因此，此题的答案应为：careers guidance。

25. A）Its pleasant environment.
B）Its worldwide fame.
C）Its generous scholarship.
D）Its well-designed courses.
25. What attracted the man to Nottingham University?
【答案】B）Its pleasant environment.
【解析】细节题。女士问：“Is there any reason why you went to Nottingham University?”你去诺丁汉大学是出于什么原因？男士在回答中说到，诺丁汉是我心中理想大学之一。紧接着他就说道：“And I like the look of it.”还进一步补充说明道：“ The campus is just beautiful. ”因此，男士是因被其优雅环境所吸引而选择去诺丁汉大学。所以，本题的答案为：Its pleasant environment.