歷年六級真題聽力原文(00年-09年)

2009年12月英語六級真題聽力原文

SectionA

1l.W:DidyouusecreditcardsonyourvacationlastmonthinEurope?

M:SureIdid.Theycertainlybeatgoingaroundwithawalletfullofbigbills.Butcarryinglotsofcashisstillvery

commonamongsomeolderpeopletravelingabroad.

Q:Whatdoesthemansayaboutsomeelderlypeople?

12.W:Rodmustbeinabadmoodtoday.What'swrongwithhim?

M:Hewaspassedoverintheselectionprocessforthedeanoftheadmissionsoffice.He'dbeenhopingforthepositionfor

alongtime.

Q:Whatdoesthemanmean?

13.M:WhatagreatsingerJustinis!Hisconcertisjustawesome.Andyou'llneverregretthemoneyyoupaidforthe

ticket.

W:Yeah.Judgingbytheamountoftheapplause,everyonewasenjoyingit.

Q:Whatdoesthewomanmean?

14.W:IreceivedanemailyesterdayfromHenry.Doyouremember?Hewasoneofthechairpersonsofourstudentsunion.

M:Yes,butIhaven'theardfromhimforages.ActuallyFvebeenoutoftouchwithhimsinceourfirstreunionafter

graduation.

Q:Whatdowelearnaboutthespeakers?

15.M:Drivingatnightalwaysmakesmetired.Lei'sstopfordinner.

W:Fine.Andlet'sfindamotel,sothatwecangetanearlystarttomorrow.

Q:Whatwillthespeakersprobablydo?

16.W:Let'slookatthesurveyonconsumerconfidenceweconductedlastweek.Howreliablearethesefigures?

M:Theyhavea5%marginoferror

Q:Whatarethespeakerstalkingabout?

17.W:Lookatthiscatalogue,John.IthinkIwanttogetthisredblouse.

M:Err,Ithinkyou'vealreadyonelikethisinblue.Doyouneedeverycolorintherainbow?

Q:Whatdoesthemanmean?

18.W:Thisnoticesaysthatalltheintroductorymarketingclassesareclosed.

M:Thatcan'tbetrue.There'ssupposedtobe13ofthemthissemester.

Q:Whatdoesthemanmean?

ConversationOne

M:Iseeonyourresumethatyouworkedasamanagerofastorecalled“ComputerCountry”.Couldyoutellmealittle

moreaboutyourresponsibilitiesthere?

W:Sure.Iwasresponsibleforoverseeingabout30employees.Ididalloftheorderingforthestore,andIkepttrackofthe

inventory.

M:Whatwasthemostdifficultpartofyourjob?

W:Probablyhandlingangrycustomers.Wedidn,thavethemveryoften,butwhenwedid,Ineededtomakesurethey

werewelltakencareof.Afterall,thecustomerisalwaysright.

M:That'showwefeelheretoo.Howlongdidyouworkthere?

W:Iwasthereforthreeandahalfyears.Ileftthecompanylastmonth.

M:Andwhydidyouleave?

W:MyhusbandhasbeentransfeiTedtoBoston.AndIunderstandyourcompanyhasanopeningtheretoo.

M:Yes,that'sright.Wedo.Butthepositionwon'tstartuntilearlynextmonth.Wouldthatbeaproblemforyou?

W:No,notatall.Myhusband'snewjobdoesn'tbeginforafewweeks.Sowethoughtwewouldspendsometimedriving

toBostonandstoptoseemyparents.

M:Thatsoundsnice.Sotellme,whyareyouinterestedinthisparticularposition?

W:Iknowthatyourcompanyhasagreatreputation,andawonderfulproduct.FvethoughtmanytimesthatIwouldliketo

beapartofit.WhenIheardabouttheopeninginBoston,Ijumpedtotheopportunity.

M:WellI'mgladyoudid.

19.Whatwasthewoman'spreviousjob?

20.Whatdoesthewomansaywasthemostdifficultpartofherjob?

21.WhyisthewomanlookingforajobinBoston?

22.Whencanthewomanstarttoworkifshegetsthejob?

ConversationTwo

W:TodayinthestudiowehaveAlbertoCortez,thewell-knownBrazilianadvocateoftheanti-globalmovement.He'shere

totalkabouttherecentreport,statingthatby2050Brazilwillbetheoneottheword'swealthiestandmostsuccessfulcountries.

Alberto,whatdoyousaytothereport?

M:Youknowthisisn'tthefirsttimethatpeoplearesayingBrazilwillbeagreateconomicpower.Thesamethingwas

saidoverahundredyearago.Butitdidn'thappen.

W:Yes,butyoumustadmittheworld'saverydifferentplacenow.

M:Ofcourse.InfactIbelievethere'smaybesometruthinthepredictionthistimearound.Firstofall,though,wemust

remembertheproblemsfacingBrazilatthemoment.

W:Suchas...?

M:There'sanenormousgapbetweentherichandthepoorinthiscountry.InSalPaulo,youcanseeshoppingmallsfullof

designergoodsrightnextdoortotheslamareaswithoutproperwaterandelectricitysupplies.Alotofworkneedstobedoneto

helppeopleinthoseareasimprovetheirlives.

W:Whatneedstobedone?

M:Education,forexample.ForBraziltobesuccessful,weneedtooffereducationtoallBrazilians.Successfulcountries

likeSouthKoreaandSingaporehaveexcellenteducationsystems.Brazilneedstolearnfromthesecountries.

W:Soyouarehopefulforthefuture.

M:AsIsaidearlier,Tmhopeful.Thisisn'taneasyjob.WeneedtomakesurethattheseimportantopportunitiesforBrazil

aren'twasted,astheywereinthepast.

23.WhatdoestherecentreportsayaboutBrazil?

24.WhatproblemdoesAlbertosayBrazilfacesnow?

25.WhatdoesAlbertosayabouteconomicallysuccessfulcountries?

SectionB

PassageOne

WilmaSubrahadnointentionofbecomingapublicspeaker.Aftergraduatingfromcollegewithdegreesinchemistryand

microbiology,shewenttoworkatGulfSouthResearchInstituteinLouisiana.Aspartofherjob,sheconductedfieldresearch

ontoxicsubstancesintheenvironment,ofteninminoritycommunitieslocatednearlargeindustrialpolluters.Shefoundmany

familieswerebeingexposedhigh,sometimesdeadly,levelsofchemicalsandothertoxicsubstances,butshewasnotallowedto

makeherinformationpublic.

Frustratedbytheserestrictions,Subraleftherjobin1981,createdherowncompany,andhasdevotedthepasttwodecades

tohelpingpeoplefightbackagainstgiantindustrialpolluters.Sheworkswithfamiliesandcommunitygroupstoconduct

environmentaltests,interprettestresults,andorganizeforchange.Becauseofherefforts,dozensoftoxicsitesacrossthe

countryhavebeencleanedup,andonechemicalindustryspokespersoncallsher"atopgunfortheenvironmentalmovement.^^

HowhasWilmaSubraachievedallthis?Partlythroughherscientifictraining,partlythroughhercommitmentto

environmentaljustice.Butjustasimportantisherabilitytocommunicatewithpeoplethroughpublicspeaking.("Public

speaking,“shesays,“istheprimaryvehicleIuseforreachingpeople.”

IfyouhadaskedSubrabefore1981,“Doyouseeyourselfasamajorpublicspeaker?”Shewouldhavelaughedattheidea.

Yettodayshegivesmorethan100presentationsayear.AlongthewayshehaslecturedatHarvard,testifiedbeforeCongress,

andaddressedaudiencesin40states,aswellasinMexico,Canada,andJapan.

26.WhatdidWilmaSubradoaspartofherjobwhileworkingatGulfSouthResearchInstitute?

27.WhatdidWilmaSubraleaveherjobin1981?

28.WhatresultshaveWilmaSubra'seffortshadintheparttwodecades?

29.WhatdoesthespeakersayhascontributedtoWilmaSubra'ssuccess?

Passage2

Oneofthebiggestchallengesfacingemployersandeducatorstodayistherapidadvanceofglobalization.Themarket

placeisnolongernationalorregional,butextendstoallcornersoftheworld.Andthisrequiresaglobalreadyworkforce.

Universitieshavealargeparttoplayinpreparingstudentsforthe21stcenturylabormarketbypromotinginternational

educationalexperiences.Themostobviouswayuniversitiescanhelpdevelopglobalworkforceisbyencouragingstudentsto

studyabroadaspartoftheircourse.Studentswhohaveexperiencedanotherculturefirsthandaremorelikelytobeglobalready

whentheygraduate.

Globalworkforcedevelopmentdoesn'talwayshavetoinvolvetravelabroadhowever.Ifstudentslearnanotherlanguage

andstudyothercultures,theywillbemoreglobalreadywhentheygraduate.Itisimportanttopointoutthatstudentsalsoneed

tohaveadeepunderstandingoftheirownculturebeforetheycanbegintoobserve,analyzeandevaluateothercultures.In

multi-culturalsocieties,peoplecanstudyeachother'scultures,todevelopinterculturalcompetencies,suchascriticaland

reflectivethinking,andintellectualflexibility.Thiscanbedoneboththroughthecurriculumandthroughactivitiesoncampus,

outsideoftheclassroom,suchasartexhibitions,andlecturesfrominternationalexperts.Manyuniversitiesarealready

embracingthischallenge,andprovidingopportunitiesforstudentstobecomeglobalcitizens.Studentsthemselves,however,

maynotrealizethatwhentheygraduate,theywillbecompetinginagloballabormarket,anduniversitiesneedtoraise

awarenessoftheseissuesamongstundergraduates.

Questions30-32

Q30:Whatisoneofthebiggestchallengesfacingemployersandeducatorstoday?

Q31:Whatshouldstudentsdofirstbeforetheycanreallyunderstandothercultures?

Q32:Whatshouldcollegestudentsrealizeaccordingtothespeaker?

Passage3

Toseeifhaircoloraffectsaperson\chancesofgettingajob,researchersatCaliforniaStateUniversityasked136college

studentstoreviewtheresumeandphotographofafemaleapplicantforajobasanaccountant.Eachstudentwasgiventhesame

resume.Buttheapplicant'spicturewasaltered,sothatinsomephotosherhairwasgolden,insomeredandinsomebrown.

Theresult?Withbrownhair,thewomanwasratedmorecapable,andshewasofferedahighersalarythanwhenshehadgolden

orredhair.Otherstudieshavefoundsimilarresults.Manyrespondentsratewomenwithgoldenhairwithlessintelligentthan

otherpeople,andredheadsasmoretemperamental.Womenwithredorgoldenhairarevictimsofthecommonpracticeof

stereotyping.

Astereotypeisasimplisticorexaggeratedimagethathumanscarryingintheirmindsaboutgroupsofpeople.Forexample,

lawyersareshrewdanddishonestisapopularstereotype.Stereotypingcanoccurinpublicspeakingclasses.Whentryingto

chooseaspeechtopic,somemalesthinkthatwomenareuninterestedinhowtorepaircars,whilesomefemalesthinkthatmen

areuninterestedincreativehobbies,suchasknittingandneedlepoint.Weshouldrejectstereotypes,becausetheyforceall

peopleinagroupintothesamesimplepattern.Theyfailtoaccountforindividualdifferences,andthewiderangeof

characteristicsamongmembersofanygroup.Somelawyersaredishonest,yes!Butmanyarenot.Somewomenare

uninterestedinrepairingcars,yes!Butsomeareenthusiasticmechanics.

Questions33-35

Q33:WhatdidresearchersatCaliforniaStateUniversityfind?

Q34:Whatisthepopularstereotypeoflawyers?

Q35:Whydoesthespeakersayweshouldrejectstereotypes?

SectionC

TheancientGreeksdevelopedbasicmemorysystemscalledmnemonics.ThenameisderivedfromtheirGoddessof

memory''Mnemosyne".Intheancientworld,atrainedmemorywasanimmenseasset,particularlyinpubliclife.Therewereno

convenientdevicesfortakingnotes,andearlyGreekoratorsdeliveredlongspeecheswithgreataccuracybecausetheylearned

thespeechesusingmnemonicsystems.

TheGreeksdiscoveredthathumanmemoryislargelyanassociativeprocessthatitworksbylinkingthingstogether.For

example,thinkofanapple.Theinstantyourbrainregisterstheword"apple",itrecallstheshape,color,taste,smellandtexture

ofthatfruit.Allthesethingsareassociatedinyourmemorywiththeword“apple”.Thismeansthatanythoughtaboutacertain

subjectwilloftenbringupmorememoriesthatarerelatedtoit.Anexamplecouldbewhenyouthinkaboutalectureyouhave

had.Thiscouldtriggeramemoryaboutwhatyou'retalkingaboutthroughthatlecture,whichcanthentriggeranothermemory.

Associationsdonothavetobelogical.Theyjusthavetomakeagoodlink.AnexamplegivenonawebsiteIwaslookingat

follows,"DoyouremembertheshapeofAustria?Canada?Belgium?OrGermany?Probablynot.WhataboutItalythough?If

youremembertheshapeofItaly,itisbecauseyouhavebeentoldatsometimethatItalyisshapedlikeaboot.Youmadean

associationwithsomethingalreadyknown,theshapeofaboot.AndItalyshapecouldnotbeforgottenonceyouhadmadethe

association."

2009年6月英語六級真題聽力原文

短對話：

11.W:IforgottotellyouthatFredcalledlastnighttoborrowyoursleepingbag.

M:Oh,Isawhimatthegymthismorning,buthedidn'tsayanything.Sohemusthaveaskedsomebodyelse.

Q:Whatdoesthemanimply?

12.W:ThesesummerdaysaregettingtobemorethanIcantake.Itwaseventoohottogotothepoolyesterday.

M:Hanginthere.Accordingtotheweatherreportweshouldhavesomereliefbytheendoftheweek.

Q:Whatdoesthemanmean?

13.W:Well,tonightwehaveProfessorBrowninourstudiototalkaboutthefamousoilpaintingofQueenVictoria.Good

evening,professor.

M:Goodevening,madam,mypleasuretobeheretonight.

Q:Whatisthewomandoing?

14.M:Theplantsnexttothewindowalwayslookbrown.Youwouldn'lknowbylookingatthemthatIwaterthemevery

week.

W:Maybetheydon'llikedirectsunlight.Ihadthesameproblemwithsomeofmyplants.Andalittleshadehelpsthem

immensely.

Q:Whatdoesthewomanimply?

Longconversationone

W:You'retheeditorofPublicEye.Whatkindoftopicsdoesyourprogramcover?

M:Well,thereareessentiallydomesticstories.Wedon'tcoverinternationalstories.Wedon'tcoverpartypoliticsor

economics.WedoissuesofgeneralsocialconcerntoourBritishaudience.Theycanbeanythingfromthefutureofthehealth

servicetothewaytheenvironmentisgoingdownhill.

W:Howdoyouchoosethetopic?Doyouchooseonebecauseit'swhatthepublicwantstoknowaboutorbecauseit's

whatyoufeelthepublicoughttoknowabout?

M:Ithinkit'samixtureofboth.Sometimesyouhaveastrongfeelingthatsomethingisimportantandyouwanttoseeit

examinedandyouwanttocontributetoapublicdebate.Sometimespeoplecometoyouwiththingstheyareworriedaboutand

theycanbequitesmallthings.Theycanbeastoryaboutcorruptioninlocalgovernment,somethingtheycannotquite

understand,whyitdoesn'tseemtobeworkingoutproperly,liketheyarenothavingtheirlittercollectedproperlyorthe

dustbinsemptied.

W:Howdoyouknowthatyou'vegotareallysuccessfulprogram?Onethatisjustrightforthetime?

M:Ithinkyougetasenseaboutitafterworkinginitinanumberofyears.Youknowwhichstoriesaregoingtogetthe

attention.Theyaregoingtobepublishedjustthepointwhenthepublicareconcernedaboutthat.

Q19-21

19.WhatkindoftopicsdoesPublicEyecover?

20.HowdoesPublicEyechooseitstopics?

21.Whatfactorplaysanimportantroleinrunningasuccessfulprogram?

W:Hi,ProfessorSmith.Ihearyou'vewrittenabooktitledVisions.

M:Yes.Itexplainshowsciencewillrevolutionizethe21stcentury.

W:CouldIaskyousomequestionsconcerningthebook?

M:Sure.

W:Areyouoptimisticaboutthefuture?

M:Generally,yeah.Ifwegobacktotheyearof1900,mostAmericansdidn'tlivebeyondtheageof50.Sincethen,we've

hadimprovementsinhealthcareandtechnology.Thereisnoreasonwhythesewon'tcontinuefarintothe21stcentury.

W:Arewereadyforthechangesthatwillcome?

M:Changesarealreadyhappening.Thefutureisherenow.WehaveDNA,microchips,theinternet.Somepeople's

reactionistosay,wearetooold;wedon'tunderstandnewtechnology.Myreactionistosay,wemusteducatepeopletouse

newtechnologynow.

W:Isworldpopulationgoingtobeabigproblem?

M:Yes,andno.Ithinkthatworldpopulationwillstopincreasingasweallgetricher.Ifyouareapartofthemiddleclass,

youdon'twantorneed12children.

W:Willtherebeaworldgovernment?

M:Veryprobably.Wewillhavetomanagetheworldanditsresourcesonagloballevelbecausecountriesaloneareloo

small.

W:Willwehavecontrolofeverything?

M:IthinkweHllearntocontroltheweather,volcanoesandearthquakes.Illnesswon'texist.We41grownewlivers,

kidneys,hearts,andlungslikesparepartsforacar.Peoplewilllivetoabout130or150.For2000years,wehavetriedto

understandourenvironment.Nowwe'llbegintocontrolit.

Q22-25arebasedontheconversationyoujustheard.

22.WhatdoesProfessorSmithsayaboutmostAmericansaroundtheyearof1900?

23.WhatdoesProfessorSmithadvicewedo?

24.WhenwilltheworldpopulationstopgrowingaccordingtoProfessorSmith?

25.WhatdoesProfessorSmiththinkhumanbeingswillbeabletodo?

2008年12月英語六級真題聽力原文

SectionA

11.M:FmaskedtopickuptheguestspeakerBobRusselattheairportthisafternoon,doyouknowwhathelookslike?

W:Well,he'sinhissixties,hestandsout,he'sbald,tallandthinandhasabeard.

Q:Whatdoweconcludefromthewoman'sremarksaboutBobRussel?

12.M:Iamconsideringdroppingmydancingclass.Iamnotmakinganyprogress.

W:IfIwereyou,Istickwithit.It'sdefinitelyworthtimeandeffort.

Q:Whatdoesthemansuggestthewomando?

13.W:YouseeIstillhavethispaininmyback,thismedicinethedoctorgavemewassupposedtomakemefeelbetterby

now.

M:Maybeyoushould'vetakenitthreetimesadayasyouweretold.

Q:Whatdowelearnfromtheconversation?

14.M:Frankly,whenIsatthebackoftheclassroom,Ican'tseethewordsontheboardclearly.

W:Well,you'vebeenwearingthosesameglassesaslongasFveknownyou.Whynotgetanewpair?Itwouldn'tcost

youtoomuch.

Q:Whatdoesthewomanimplyabouttheman'sglasses?

15.W:Howcomethefloorissowet?Ialmostslipped,whathappened?

M:Oh,sorry!ThephonerangthemomentIgotintotheshower,anyway,Filwipeituprightnow.

Q:Whywasthefloorwetaccordingtotheman?

16.M:Theinstructionsonthepackagesaythatyouneedtosomeassemblyyourself.Tvespentallafternoontryinginvain

toputthisbookcasetogether.

W:Iknowwhatyoumean,lasttimeItriedtoassembleatoytrainformysonandIalmostgaveup.

Q:Whatdoesthemanfinddifficult?

17.M:FmgettingworriedaboutJenny'sschoolwork.Allshetalksaboutthesedaysisvolleyballgamesandailshedoes

ispractice,trainingandthingslikethat.

W:Hergradesonthecomingexamswillfallforsure.It'shightimewetalk(ed)somesensetoher.

Q:Whatarethespeakersprobablygoingtodo?

18.W:Doyouunderstandwhythelocalpeopleareopposedtothenewdamuptheriver?

M:Theyareworriedaboutthepotentialdangerifthedamshouldbreak.Theriverisverywideabovetheproposedsite.

Q:Whatdowelearnfromtheconversation?

Nowyou'llhearthetwolongconversations:

ConversationOne

W:Mr.While,whatchangeshaveyouseeninthechampagnemarketinthelasttentofifteenyears?

M:Wellthebiggestchangehasbeenthedecreaseinsalessincethegreatboomyearsofthe1980swhenchampagne

productionandsalesreachedrecordlevels.

W:Whichwasthebestyear?

M:Welltherecordwasin1989when249millionbottlesofchampagnewassold.Thehighestproductionlevelwas

reachedin1990withatotalof293millionbottles.Ofcoursesincethoseboomyearssaleshavefallen.

W:Hasthemarketbeenbadlyhitbytherecession?

M:Ohcertainly,theeconomicproblemsinchampagnes'exportmarketsthat'sEurope,theUnitedStates,Japan,andof

coursethedomesticmarketinFrance,theeconomicproblemshavecertainlybeenonereasonforthedecreaseinchampagne

sales.

W:Andtheotherreasons?

M:Anotherimportantfactorhasbeenprice.Intheearly90s,champagnewasveryoverpriced,somanypeoplestopbuying

it.Insteadtheyboughtsparklingwinesfromothercountries,inparticularfromAustraliaandSpain.Andthentherewasanother

problemforchampagneintheearly90s.

W:Whatwasthat?

M:Therewasalotofratherbadchampagneonthemarket.Thismeantthepopularityofgoodsparklingwinesincreased

evenmore.Peoplewassurprisedbytheirqualityandofcoursetheywerealotcheaperthanchampagne.

W:Doyouthinkthechampagnemarketwillrecoverinthefuture?

M:Oh,I'msureitwill.Whentheeconomicsituationimproves,Ibelievethemarketwillrecover.

Questions19to21arebasedontheconversationyouhavejustheard.

19.Whatdoesthemansayaboutchampagneinthe1980s?

20.Whydidsparklingwinesbecomemorepopularthanchampagneintheearly90s?

21.Whatdoesthemanthinkofthechampagnemarketinthefuture?

ConversationTwo

W:Right,well,inthestudiothismorning,forourinterviewspotisPeterWilson.PeterworksforGreenPeace.So,Peter,

welcome.

M:Thanksalot.It?sgoodtobehere.

W:Great!Now,Peter,perhapsyoucantellussomethingaboutGreenPeaceandyourjobthere.

M:Sure.Well,FilstartbytellingyouroughlywhatGreenPeaceisallabout.IactuallyworkinLondonfortheGreen

Peaceorganization.We'vebeengoingforafewdecadesandwe'reanon-violent,non-politicalorganization.We'reinvolvedin

anti-nuclearactivity,conservationandprotectionofanimalsandprotectionandsupportofoureco-system.Tmtheaction

organizerandarrangeanyprotests.

W:Right!Aprettyimportantrole,Peter.Whatsortofprotestwouldyouorganize?

M:Well,recentlywe'vebeeninvolvedinanti-nuclearcampaigns.I,personallyarrangedforthedemonstrationagainst

radioactivewastedumpingintheAtlanticOcean.We'vegotafewsmallGreenPeaceboatsthatweharassthedumpingship

with.

W:Say?Holdon,Peter.Ithoughtyousaidyourorganizationwasnon-violent.Whatdoyoumeanby"harass"?

M:Well,wecircleroundandroundtheshipsandgetinthewaywhentheytrytodumpthedrumsofnuclearwasteinthe

sea.Wetalktothemenandtrytochange,youknow,yellatthemtostop.Wegenerallymakeourselvesasmuchofanuisance

aspossible.

M:Well,peoplemaythinkdifferentlyofyourmethods,butthere'snodoubtyou'redoingagreatjob.Keepitupandgood

luck.Andthanksfortalkingwithus.

Questions22to25arebasedontheconversationsyouhavejustheard.

22.Whatistheman'schiefresponsibilityintheGreenPeaceorganization?

23.WhathasGreenPeacebeeninvolvedinrecently?

24.HowdoesGreenPeacetrytostoppeoplefromdumpingnuclearwaste?

25.Whatisthewoman'sattitudetowardstheGreenPeace'scampaigns?

SectionB

PassageOne

Tofindoutwhattheweatherisgoingtobe,mostpeoplegostraighttotheradio,television,ornewspapertogetanexpert

weatherforecast.Butifyouknowwhattolookfor,youcanuseyourownsensestomakeweatherpredictions.Therearemany

signsthatcanhelpyou.Forexample,infairweathertheairpressureisgenerallyhigh,theairisstillandoftenfullofdust,and

farawayobjectsmaylookvague.Butwhenthestormisbrewing,thepressuredrops,andyouareoftenabletoseethingsmore

clearly.Sailorstooknoteofthislongago,andcameupwiththesaying,tkThefartherthesight,thenearertherain.^^Yoursense

ofsmellcanalsohelpyoudetecttheweatherchanges.Justbeforeitrains,odorsbecomestronger,thisisbecauseodorsare

repressedinafairhighpressurecenter.Whenabadweatherlowmovesin,airpressurelessensandodorsarereleased.Youcan

alsohearanapproachingstorm.Soundsbounceoffheavystormcloudsandreturntoearthwithincreasedforce.Anoldsaying

describesitthisway,“Soundstravelingfarandwideastormydaywillbetied”.Anddon'tlaughatyourgrandmotherifshe

saysshecanfeelastormcoming.Itiscommonlyknownthatmanypeoplefeelpainsintheirbonesorjointswhilethehumidity

rises,thepressuredrops,andbadweatherisontheway.

Questions26to28arebasedonthepassageyouhavejustheard:

26.Whydoesthespeakersaywecanseefarawayobjectsmoreclearlyasastormisapproaching?

27.Whatdoesthespeakerwanttoshowbyquotingacoupleofoldsayings?

28.Whatdoesthepassagemainlytalkabout?

PassageTwo

Manydaysseemtobringnumeroustasksandresponsibilities.Allofwhichapparentlymustbetackledrightaway.You

spendadayputtingoutfiles,butbytheendoftheday,youhaven'taccomplishedanyofthereallyimportantthingsyousetout

todo.Indesperation,youdrafta“to-do"list,butmostdays,youcanmakelittleprogresswithit.Whenyoulookatthelisteach

morning,abigfatcloudofdoomisrightatthetop.Thosedifficult,complex,importanttasks,thataresocrucialtogetdone,

andsoeasytoavoid.Plentyofuscreatea<<to-do^^listtoaddressfeelingsofbeingoverwhelmed,butwerarelyusethesetoolsto

theirbesteffect.Theywindoutbeingguilt-provokingremindersofthefactthatwillover-committedandlosingcontrolofour

priorities.AccordingtoTimothyPikle,aprofessorofpsychologyatCarltonUniversityinOttawa,peopleoftendrawupa

“to-do”list,andthenthat'sit.Thelistitselfbecomestheday'sachievement,allowingustofeelwe'vedonesomethinguseful

withouttakingonanyrealwork.Infact,drawingupthelistbecomesawayofavoidingtheworkitself.Toooften,thelistis

seenastheaccomplishmentfortheday,reducingtheimmediateguiltofnotworkingonthetasksathandbyinvestingenergyin

thelist,saysPikle.Whenalistisusedlikethis,it'ssimplyanotherwayinwhichwelietoourselves.

Questions29to31arebasedonthepassageyouhaveheard.

29.Whatistheproblemthattroublesmanypeoplenowadaysaccordingtothespeaker?

30.Accordingtothespeaker,whattoomanypeopledotocopewiththeirdailytasks?

31.AccordingtopsychologistTimothyPikle,whatdopeoplefindbytheendoftheday?

PassageThree