Section B
Directions: In this section, you will hear 3 short passages. At the end of each passage, you will hear some 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 2 with a single line through the center.
Passage One
In phone booths in the U. S., there are usually directions for using the telephone. All phone numbers have seven digits, though letters and numbers are sometimes used in combination. There may be phonebooks or directories under the telephone.
There are two main kinds of long distance calls: dial-direct and operator-assisted. You can make dial direct calls in most parts of the U.S. Look in the white page directory for long distance rates or more information on making long distance calls. Or you can call the operator for help. If you need a phone number that is not in your phone book, call Directory Assistance.
To make a long distance call, you’ll need to know the three-digit area code. Dial 1 plus the area code plus the number, and an operator or a computer voice will tell you how much money to deposit. On operator assisted calls, the operator will ask you to deposit more money before your time is up. On dial-direct calls you’ll be cut off at the end of the time you paid for unless you put more money in the slot.
Questions 26 to 28 are based on the passage you have just heard.
26. What do all telephone numbers have?
27. What should you do to make a long distance call?
28. What can you find in the white pages of a telephone book?
Passage Two
Most people think that the older you get, the harder it is to learn a new language. That is why they believe that children learn more easily than adults. Thus, at some point in our lives, maybe around age twelve or thirteen we lose the ability to learn language well. Is it true that children learn a foreign language more easily than adults? One report, on 2,000 Danish children studying Swedish, showed that the teenagers learned more, in less time, than the younger children. Another report, on Americans learning Russian, showed that the ability to learn a language increases as the age increases from childhood to adulthood. There are several possible explanations for these results. For one thing, adults know more about the world and therefore are able to understand meanings more easily than children. Moreover, adults can use logical thinking to help themselves in learning a new language. Finally adults have more self-control than children.
Therefore, it seems that the common belief that children are better learners than adults may not be true.
Questions 29 to 31 are based on the passage you have just heard.
29. According to this talk, what’s the common belief about learning a new language?
30. Name the two reports mentioned in the talk.
31. What qualities do adults have that make learning a new language easier for them?
Passage Three
Today I would like to continue our discussion of American diplomatic history of the 18th century by talking about the pioneer named William Johnson. Sir William Johnson helped to establish friendly relations between the British colonists and the Iroquois nation during the middle of the 18th century. Johnson came to New York State from England in 1737 and soon became a large land-holder. He got along well with the Iroquois. Some of them lived on his land and it became a center of trade. Johnson sought land and furs, but was generous to his neighbors. With his skill of a diplomat Johnson often spent time negotiating among the various Indian groups. Largely because of his work the Iroquois aided the British in their struggles against the French in 1756. Later, however, there was a disagreement with the Iroquois. Johnson, who had been an official in the colonial government, was called in to negotiate a treaty regarding land boundary between the Iroquois and the English and French settlers in the area. Since Johnson died in 1774 he did not have to face the turmoil of the American Revolution.
Questions 32 to 35 are based on the passage you have just heard.
32. What is the main topic of the lecture?
33. Where was Johnson born?
34. What was the treaty with the Iroquois about?
35. When did Johnson die?
Section C
Directions: In this section, you will hear a passage three times. When the passage is read for the first time, you should listen carefully for its general idea. When the passage is read for the second time, you are required to fill in the blanks numbered from 36 to 43 with the exact words you have just heard. For blanks numbered form 44 to 46 you are required to fill in the missing information. For these blanks, you can either use the exact words you have just heard or write down the main points in your own words. Finally, when the passage is read for the third time, you should check what you have written.
In November 1965, New York was blacked out by an electricity failure. The (36) authorities promised that it would not happen again. Pessimists were certain that it would occur again within five years at the latest. In July 1977, there was a repeat performance which (37) produced varying degrees of chaos throughout the city of eight million people. In 1965, the failure occurred in the cool autumn and at a time of (38) comparative prosperity. In 1977, the disaster was much more serious because it came when unemployment was high and the city was suffering from one of its worst heat waves.
In 1965, there was little crime or looting during the darkness, and fewer than a hundred people were (39) arrested. In 1977, hundreds of stores were broken into and looted. Looters (40) smashed shop windows and helped themselves to (41) jewelry, clothes or television sets. Nearly 4,000 people were arrested but far more (42) disappeared into the darkness of the night. The number of policemen available was quite (43) inadequate and they wisely refrained from using their guns against mobs (44) which far outnumbered them and included armed men.
Hospitals had to treat hundreds of people cut by glass from shop windows. Banks and most businesses remained closed the next day. (45) The blackout started at 9:30 p. m., when lightning hit and knocked out vital cables. Many stores were thus caught by surprise.
The vast majority of New Yorkers, however, were not involved in looting. (46) They helped strangers, distributed candles and batteries, and tried to survive in a nightmare world without traffic lights, refrigerators, elevators, water and electrical power. For twenty-four hours, New York realized how helpless it was without electricity.
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