PART A Micro-Listening

1. M: Hi, Mary. I tried to get you on the phone for hours this morning.

Where were you?

W: I was busy working in the office.

M: Why? It's Saturday, isn't?

W: Yes, I know. But I had to finish typing a report for Mr Davis.

Q: Why couldn't the man get Mary on the phone?

2. W: How long have you lived here in New York?

M : Seven years.

W: I see. I've lived in this city since 1985. Before that I lived in Chicago.

M: Oh, really? I've heard a lot about Chicago. I'd like to visit it some day.

Q : Where is the woman living now?

3. M: What do you do in your spare time?

W: Oh, nothing special. I read, watch TV and go to the movies.

M: Don't you have any hobbies like collecting stamps or things like that?

W: No, I don't have any hobbies. How about you?

M: I have just one -- photography. It's expensive, but it's a lot of fun.

Q : What's the man's hobby? Why?

4. W: Are you going to the park with your family tomorrow?

M: Yes. We'll have a picnic by the lake if it's a fine day.

W: Will you take some pictures?

M: Sure, besides, we'll have a swim in the afternoon.

W: Sounds exciting.

Q : What will the man and his family do in the park tomorrow?

5. W: What's your favorite sport, Bill?

M: Well, I like golf a lot but I guess I like tennis better.

W: Do you play much tennis?

M: Yes, quite a lot. How about a game sometime?

W: Sorry, I don't play any sports but I watch all kinds of games.

Q : What do you know about the woman?



PART B Macro-Listening

Passage I

Trouble at the Supermarket

Tapescript

Every Friday morning Mrs Bell goes to the supermarket and gets the gro ceries for the week. Last Friday, as usual, she drove to the supermarket. She was able to find a parking space outside the supermarket. She parked the car and locked the door.

She went into the supermarket and got a trolley. She went to the fruit section first, and there she got some apples and oranges. Then she went to the meat counter and got some steak. She wanted some wine because she was giving a dinner party that evening. She started walking towards the wines and spirits section.

At the wines and spirits section she met her neighbor, Mrs Young. Mrs Young's three-year-old daughter, Lily, was with her. As she was too heavy to carry, Mrs Young let her sit in the trolley. The two women started talking. Mrs Bell told Mrs Young about the dinner party.

Lily wasn't interested in their conversation. So she began to examine the bottles on the shelves. They were much more interesting. She picked up a bottle of whisky. Neither of the women noticed.

After Lily had looked at the bottle for a few seconds, she got bored. She couldn't open the bottle, so she put it in Mrs Bell's shopping bag which was hanging from the handle of the trolley.

Mrs Bell found a nice bottle of red wine and put it in her trolley. She went to the checkout and joined the queue. The store detective was standing near the checkout. He saw the bottle of whisky in Mrs Bell's bag. Mrs Bell paid all the things in her trolley and walked towards the exit.

She was just going out when the shop detective stopped her and asked why she hadn't paid for the whisky. Mrs Bell was astonished. She explained that she didn't know anything about the bottle of whisky. The store detective didn't believe her and asked Mrs Bell to go with him to the manager's office.

Passage 2

Art Lesson

Tapescript

Sheila entered the art center reluctantly. Her best friend, Lisa, had a painting on display, otherwise she would never have come. But Lisa talked constantly about her summer art class and urged Sheila to attend the first show. Sheila had almost refused to come when she learned what would be shown.

'Do you mean to tell me that everyone in your class painted the same thing?' she had asked.

'Yes,' Lisa had said. 'It is a still life of an orange and some grapes.'

'How boring! I don't see how you could stand to paint the same thing as everyone else did. Art should be individual.'

'It is individual,' Lisa had answered. 'You'll see.'

So Sheila had come to the show. As she walked into the gallery, she saw her friend waiting. 'Hi, Lisa!' Sheila called, 'Here I am, Bring on the fruit!'

Lisa laughed and led Sheila into a large room. The first thing to catch Sheila's eye was not a painting, but a huge color photograph of the orange and grapes that the art students had painted. It was hanging high on a wall above the paintings.

The first painting that Sheila examined was a complete surprise to her. The artist had painted a shapeless mass of color for the fruit but had mixed the colors very well, making them quite pleasing to the eye. The next artist had given the orange and grapes such perfect roundness that they looked artificial. Another artist had painted the fruit in strange shapes, while another had made it look so real that Sheila felt she could almost taste it. Lisa's painting showed the surface of the orange in every detail, making Sheila want to touch it.

By the time Sheila finished viewing all the paintings, she was thoroughly fascinated. She realized that every painting was as individual as the student who had painted it. All had seen the fruit differently and had tried to put their impressions on canvas. Sheila had begun to learn what art was all about.