This listening comprehension test will test your ability to understand spoken English. There are three parts to this test. Special instructions will be given to you at the beginning of each part.

1.

W: 

Bruce, come look at this!

M:

What's the matter?

W:

I tried to open these drapes, and this one just fell off the rod! They're literally rotten!

M:

That doesn't surprise me. I just discovered that at least half of the outdoor lights don't work!

W:

The people who lived here before certainly didn't take very good care of this place, huh?

Question: What can we infer about the speakers?

2.

W: 

Thanks for taking the time to look at the first draft of my paper.

M:

That's okay. You said you didn't have much experience with research papers?

W: 

Very little. As an undergraduate, I mostly did group projects. So what do you think?

M:

(sighs) Sandy, I'm afraid you've got some serious problems here.

W:

Really?

M:

For example, I've marked several pages where you apparently copied some other source, but you didn't cite it.  

Question: According to the man, what will the woman need to do?

3. 

M: 

Hey, have you heard from Ruth lately?

W: 

I just got an e-mail yesterday. She's in Switzerland!

M:

Switzerland! You mean she's still in Europe? How long has she been gone?

W:

Eight months, so far.

M: 

Eight months! Gosh, wouldn't it be nice to have no job responsibilities, and be able to see the world?

W:

Would it ever!

Question: What can we infer about the speakers?

4.

M:

Are you going to call Tim or should I?

W:

I think you should. I always get cold feet about confrontations.

M:

Well, we're in the right. He shouldn't take things without asking permission first.

W:

I know but...

M:

Listen, if we don't get some backbone now, he'll continue walking all over us.

Question: What does the man want to do?

5.

M:

Hello?

W:

Yes, I'm calling about the business writing course.

M:

What would you like to know?

W:

Is there still space available for the second term?

M:

Yes, there is. But you'd better hurry. Registration ends on February 21st.

W:

February 21st...that's the day after tomorrow.

M:

Yes, that's right. Or if you don't mind waiting until the third term, you can register 
before the end of May.

W:

Well, I'm going to New Zealand this summer, so I'll try to register for the second term.

Question: When will the woman register?

6.

M:

Now about the CE-10 microphones...I'd like to order 1,000 units but only if you can deliver them by the end of April.

W:

I'm afraid that doesn't give us enough time. We've received several other orders already. What about the first week of May?

M:

Let's make this arrangement: if the shipment arrives after the end of April, the price will be discounted 5%.

W:

All right. It's a deal.

Question: Why might the shipment not be delivered by the end of April?

7.

M:

Hi, Linda. Did you watch the baseball game on Channel 15 last night?

W:

No, Kevin wanted to watch an adventure movie on Channel 40, so I watched it with him.

M:

So, how was it?

W:

Believe it or not, I was on the edge of my seat during the whole movie.

Question: What does the woman imply about last night's movie?

8.

(W) As we continue studying the origins of Christmas customs, let's look at Christmas carols.  All over the world today, people sing special songs about the birth of Jesus,  and  groups may even stand on street corners or walk from house to house singing  these so-called Christmas carols. What you may not realize is that the word "carol" originally referred to an English folk dance which included singing.
Question: What will the speaker probably talk about next?

9.

(M) Before Mt. Pinatubo in the Phillipines erupted in 1991, scientists had issued warnings  that the earth was getting warmer, due to the depletion of ozone in the atmosphere. The volcano's eruption, however, led to some global cooling in the following few years. The ash and sulfur-dioxide gas spewed into the atmosphere by the eruption created a haze which reflected sunlight, thus reducing the temperature on the earth's surface. This dust cloud diffused and covered both hemispheres.
Question: According to this talk, what effect did the eruption of Mt. Pinatubo have on the earth?

10.

(W) I once lived in India, in a tiny top-story apartment. The roof of our building was  made of tin sheets, and the ceiling below was wooden boards. One winter, there was a terrible storm, with extremely strong winds. The wind and rain beat hard against the metal roof for hours. Then one blast of wind began to push up the eastern side of the roof. Soon we heard a ripping sound, and some of the metal sheets slid off the roof, crashing into the road below.
Question: What probably happened next?

11.

(M) Last night was the opening performance of Shakespeare's Hamlet at the University Theater, directed by Robert Ray. The set design, above all, was really impressive, and Ray makes use of the whole theater, with actors and actresses sometimes walking down into the audience. The senior playing Hamlet, Curtis Lamb, did an excellent job; some of the other roles were a bit weak, but perhaps that was just first night nerves.
Question: What is the speaker's attitude towards this production?

12.

(W) A native of Guatemala and an indigenous person herself, Rigoberta Menchu has emerged as a spokesperson for indigenous peoples around the world. Through her writings, she has called attention to the danger these groups are in the danger of disappearing altogether, along with their native languages and cultures. Menchu was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for her efforts in 1992.
Question: According to this talk, what subject has Rigoberta Menchu mainly written about?

13.

(M) Another interesting thing about the kiwi bird is that it has one of the largest eggs of any bird. In fact, it's much larger than you would expect for a bird of that size. The egg becomes so large, and fills the female's body so completely, that there's no room for food. The bird sometimes soaks itself in cold rain water to relieve the discomfort.
Question: What does the speaker emphasize about the birth of kiwi birds?

14.

(W) The U.S. National Park Service administers more than 200 cultural and historic sites, including Independence Hall, the Statue of Liberty, and 150 nature preserves. In addition, the Park Service storerooms hold more than 25 million museum-quality objects. However, vast parts of the collection remain uncatalogued, due to a shortage of funds, and many of the artifacts are rotting away.
Question: What does the National Park Service need more money for?

15.

(M) What would you say to a tennis racquet that weighed less than your morning cup of coffee? The Prince Thunder titanium racquet--weighing just 7 ounces--is so much lighter than other racquets that it's hard to believe it's standard size. It's also the stiffest racquet you can buy, so it adds force to your stroke while allowing you to control the ball more effectively.
Question: What should we expect from the Prince Thunder tennis racquet?

For questions no. 16 to 20, you will listen to an interview with a writer of horror novels. 
Before listening, you will have 30 seconds to read the instructions and questions no. 16 to 20. Please begin now. When you finish, look up from your desk.
                                                   [Pause 30 seconds.]
Now listen to the interview. You may take notes in your test booklet as you listen.

W:

Good morning, and welcome to "Reader's Gallery." Today we have a guest who has written 26 novels, and has sold an amazing 60 million copies worldwide. His latest novel "Black Death" has recently become the best-selling novel in America. We welcome Mike Taylor to our show. Thanks for coming, Mike.

M:

It's a pleasure, Laura.

W:

Well, we all know Mike Taylor--the writer of best-selling horror novels, but tell us something about Mike Taylor--the person.

M:

Okay. Well, I grew up in Los Angeles, California, where I graduated from high school. After that, I went to university to study psychology. I chose to major in psychology because I've always been interested in the mind and how people think, even as a child. I really enjoyed my time there. In fact, it was at university that I discovered my true passion--writing. 

W:

You wrote for the university's magazine, didn't you?

M:

Yes, that's correct. It started out really as a bit of fun, but when my first short story appeared in the magazine, I was over the moon! To be honest, I still feel that way every time my work gets published. 

W:

So, what did you do after your degree?

M:

I began working in an advertising company, but soon I got bored with that. I think I only stayed 7 months! It was afterwards that I decided to be a full-time writer, and so I devoted my time to writing. Then in 1988, my first novel was published.

W:

Oh, yes. I remember the book "House of Horror" very well. It became a national best seller, and it was even made into a very successful Hollywood film. But tell me Mike, why did you choose to write horror stories?

M:

Well, I don't actually see myself as a writer of "horror" books. I see myself as a writer of psychological thrillers. I like to touch on real fears, such as the fear of death, or the unknown, and then I like to use that as a basis for my novels.

W:

I have always wondered why people are so fascinated by horror films or novels. Why do you think we like to read about "horror"?

M:

Well, it's a mixture of, ah...fear, as I said, and um... curiosity, curiosity about ourselves. Everyone is frightened by something, and I think that by exposing ourselves to fear, we are actually trying to understand our own fears. 

W:

Lots of writers like to try another genre after they've done one sort of novel for awhile.  Tom Clancy, for example, is most famous for his stories of international terrorism--spies and so on--but he's also written some non-fiction. Have you thought about...?

M:

Doing non-fiction? No, but my next novel will be something of a departure. It will be about fear, but it's not really a thriller--it's about a man who suddenly reaches the end of his life, or almost the end, and he realizes he has hurt all the most important people in his life, everyone he loves. And his fear is that he won't be able to undo this, he won't have any opportunities to heal those relationships before he dies.

W:

Do you have a title?

M:

Not yet.

W:

Well, thank you again for joining us today on "Reader's Gallery," Mike.

M:

You're welcome.

Now you will have 3 minutes to answer questions no. 16 to 20. Write your answers on your answer sheet.
                                                   [Pause 3 minutes.]

For questions no. 21 to 27, you will listen to a discussion between a man and a woman about a subject which the woman has been reading about. 
Before listening, you will have 30 seconds to read the instructions and questions no. 21 to 27. Please begin now. When you finish, look up from your desk.
                                                   [Pause 30 seconds.]

Now listen to the discussion. You may take notes in your test booklet as you listen.

W:

Wow, you'd never believe how many people are moving these days!

M:

What do you mean, Carol? Who's moving that we know?

W:

I don't mean moving to new apartments. I mean whole populations moving because they have no choice, or very little choice.

M:

Oh, I see. You're talking about immigration, aren't you?

W:

Well, if foreigners come to our country and are allowed to stay permanently, that's immigration. But I'm actually just talking about migration and migrants are people who move to a new place to live and work, whether or not they can stay there forever.

M:

So if people come to our country for a few years to work, they're migrants?

W:

That's right. I've been reading this article about migration, and believe it or not, there are over thirty-five million of those migrant workers around the world today.

M:

Thirty-five million! Wow, that's a lot of people moving!

W:

Yes, but those are only the migrants who go to other countries for job opportunities. The article also talked about other types of people migrations. For example, about thirty million people in the world today have been forced to move somewhere else within their own countries. The article called this "internal displacement."

M:

Why did they have to move?

W:

Sometimes there were wars, or their land was taken by the government. It says here that more than half of those thirty million people are in Africa, and about a quarter are in Asia.

M:

Gosh, that's amazing. Imagine so many people having to move.

W:

Then there's another category of people who are considered migrants. They're the ones who once made their living from the land by growing crops or raising animals but now the environment has been destroyed.

M:

Do you mean that the soil has become ruined by poor farming techniques?

W:

Yes, or damaged by chemicals. Also, remember that the rainfall patterns have changed, and many areas are becoming as dry as deserts.

M:

So there are a lot of migrants who are forced to abandon their land because of environmental destruction.

W:

Yeah, around sixty million.

M:

So what do they do?

W:

Well, some are able to find farm work on other people's land

M:

But I guess many of them try to find work in the cities.

W:

Yeah, and they join the fourth wave of migration I was reading about--the migrants moving from rural to urban areas. That's been going on for years, even before good agricultural land started to disappear. Apparently there are about eighty million of these migrants right now.

M:

Eighty million!

W:

And every year another one and a half million are expected to leave the country for the city.

M:

Gosh, who's going to be left to grow our food? But I see what you mean now, Carol-there sure are lots of people moving out there!

Now you will have 3 minutes to answer questions no. 21 to 27. Write your answers on your answer sheet.
                                                    [Pause 3 minutes.]

For questions no. 28 to 34, listen to part of a lecture given at a conference. 
Before listening, you will have 30 seconds to read the instructions and questions no. 28 to 34. Please begin now. When you finish, look up from your desk.
                                                    [Pause 30 seconds.]

Now listen to the lecture. You may take notes in your test booklet as you listen.

        It is exciting to be a part of the medical field in this new century. There are so many innovations in hospitals today, innovations which you'll be able to encourage and direct. No longer do hospitals need to be the cold, impersonal institutions of the past. Then everything was kept clean, and efforts were made to make patients physically comfortable, but there was little attention to the mind, to the spirit. Now, of course, we're well aware of the effects of the mind and spirit on a person's physical health, and we know that a depressing hospital environment can actually slow down the healing process. So one of your concerns as administrators must be to create a hospital environment which "feeds" the patients' minds and spirits, so that they can get well sooner. In a little while, I'll be showing you some video footage of scenes at two hospitals where this principle is already being put into practice. For now, let me explain some of the innovations you'll be seeing.

        One big change that is taking place in hospitals has to do with bringing patients in contact with nature. Studies have shown us that patients who can see trees and other greenery from their hospital windows actually recover faster than those who only see a brick wall or an air conditioner. There's something in human beings that makes us love to look at a tree. So as new hospitals are designed, an important consideration is whether patients' rooms have views of nature, and how much of the view can be seen while a patient is lying flat in bed. These changes are happening slowly, of course. I doubt that your hospital's board of directors would agree to tear down your old building and put up another one! But if you as administrators understand the principle, you will want to make what changes you can. 

        Research has shown that just a taste of nature can have significant healing effects. There are so many creative ways you'll be able to apply this principle. Even a painting of nature on a hospital wall, for example, can make a big difference to patients in intensive care units. One study in Sweden showed that patients who could see a nature painting had less anxiety and needed fewer strong pain drugs than patients with no painting. At one of the hospitals you'll be seeing on the video in a minute, the windows don't have a good view, but the curtains are printed with a colorful nature scene. At my own hospital, we let patients listen to CDs with sounds of birds singing and rivers bubbling over rocks. As I say, use your own imaginations to apply this principle of bringing nature into the healing process.

        Other innovations in the healing process at hospitals don't require new buildings--only new attitudes. As I said, in the past, our number one concern for hospital rooms was that they be clean, free of things that might carry disease. But this attitude has to change in order to welcome some new partners into the healing process--animals. Many hospitals now have their own dogs and cats--gentle ones, of course, well-trained, kept clean--and patients love them. And this is the point--patients respond to them. They stop worrying about their own medical problems, their anxiety decreases, their blood pressure drops. As administrators, we need to stop thinking of animals as dirty. They may leave some stray hair around, but the benefits of animals to the life of a hospital can be enormous.

        Now, let's go ahead and take a look at the video.

Now you will have 4 minutes to answer questions no. 28 to 34. Write your answers on your answer sheet. 
                                                    [Pause 4 minutes.]

For questions no. 35 to 40, you will listen to a news report about modern-day pirates. 
Before listening, you will have 30 seconds to read the instructions and questions no. 35 to 40. Please begin now. When you finish, look up from your desk.
                                                   [Pause 30 seconds.]
Now listen to the news report. You may take notes in your test booklet as you listen.

        In today's special report, we'll be looking at the problem of modern-day pirates.

        Piracy is defined as the theft of a ship, or the goods on board, known as the cargo. Every year hundreds of ships are attacked, members of the crew are threatened or killed, and the cargo, or even the ship is stolen. Exactly how big is this problem? Well, according to some figures, piracy accounts for losses amounting to $1 billion a year. What's more, not only is this crime on the increase, but the pirates are becoming more and more violent. The topics we'll look at today are why we don't hear about piracy, and what measures are being taken to protect the ships and crew.

        Pirate attacks usually occur at night, whether the ships are in port or at sea. In the majority of cases, pirates are only after the cash in the captain's safe, and the cargo they can carry away. However, there are a few who are more organized. They use high-speed boats to steal entire ships at sea and have sophisticated weapons, which they are not afraid to use. 

        A few years ago, six thieves, pretending to be port officials, boarded a ship in Hong Kong, drugged the captain, and made off with $300,000 dollars worth of frozen food. The crew was lucky, as they survived the attack. Others have not been so lucky. Twenty-three crewmembers of a ship near the Philippines were killed when pirates attacked their ship.

        Attacks occur worldwide, but there are a few areas where vessels are particularly at risk from pirates. Brazil, for example, is renowned for the high number of attacks on vessels in port. A reason for this could be the lack of security and police in Brazilian ports. For ships at sea, South East Asia is the place where crewmembers need to be the most alert. In this area, there are hundreds of little islands that pirates can hide on or escape to, which increases the likelihood of an attack on a ship.

        If piracy is, in fact, an everyday occurrence, why don't we hear about it more on the news, or read about it in the newspapers? Well, the truth is that shipping companies hardly ever report attacks to the police after they happen. The companies are worried that if they report such incidences, the cost of insurance will increase and crewmembers will demand higher wages. Let's also not forget that the chances of recovering the cargo or finding the stolen ships again are quite slim. Ships are repainted, given new names and false papers. The cargo is sold or transferred to another ship. As for the pirates, they hardly ever get caught.

        So, what measures are being taken to combat this problem? Most importantly, the International Maritime Bureau set up the Piracy Center in 1992. It's based in the Malaysian capital of Kuala Lumpur and financed by shipping and insurance companies. Its main purposes are to help ships report both attacks and attempted attacks, and to offer information and advice to shipping companies. The Center compiles detailed information about areas to avoid and measures to take to protect ships and crews.

        In brief, not only is piracy a serious crime that has caused huge losses for shipping and insurance companies, but it is also a violent crime that has killed hundreds of innocent people. We need more support and cooperation from governments and organizations to put an end to a crime that should have been stopped centuries ago.

Now you will have 4 minutes to answer questions no. 35 to 40. Write your answers on your answer sheet.
                                                   [Pause 4 minutes.]