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2003.01 Edited by Merlion,
based on sausage's original work
Part A
1.
M: Do you think I could use your computer to type my
research paper?
W: If you don’t mind waiting a couple of hours.
What does the woman imply?
2.
W: Look I got a letter from my cousin Jeff in Alaska.
M: Can I get the return address from the envelope?
What will the man probably do?
3.
W: This book is two weeks overdue, and I see from our
records that another borrower has already come in looking
for it.
M: I am terribly sorry, but I was called out of town
unexpectedly for a few weeks.
What does the man imply?
4.
M: I just saw Larry from our chemistry study group, and he
said the grades we got on the mid exam, they’ve finally been
put up.
W: They have? Where?
What does the woman want to know?
5.
W: Have a good trip! I hope you won’t have too long a walk
from the car to the check in area. That’s a lot of luggage
for you to carry by yourself
M: Well, I’ll get the driver to give me a hand.
What does the man mean?
6.
W: I don’t know what to think. Which outfit should I wear to
my job interview, the black dress or the navy blue suit?
M: Well, Jane, you’ve got to consider the image you want to
present, and I say the suit is more professional looking.
What does the man imply?
7.
M: Now that you’ve finished writing your thesis, do you
think you will have time to sit back and take it easy? Maybe
take a little bit vacation?
W: Believe me, that’s exactly what I intend to do.
What does the woman mean?
8.
W: Did you hear? They are moving Kathy to the New York
office.
M: They are? That’s news to me.
What does the man mean?
9.
M: Please excuse the mess I haven’t had any time to clean.
W: What mess? You should see how I left my room this
morning.
What does the woman imply?
10.
W: $200 to fix my computer? I thought you said you could do
it for 50.
M: I did, but it’s not the keyboard after all. That’s the
major part inside the machine that will cost a lot more to
replace.
What does the man mean?
11.
M: What a great television program. That was really
stimulating. Don't you think?
W: Well, only if you like politics.
What does the woman imply about the television program?
12.
W: Hi, Dan, I just came by to see if you want to work out to
the gym with me this afternoon.
M: I’d love to but I don’t think I’m up to it today. I ’m
coming down with a cold.
What does the man mean?
13.
W: The research project from my political science course on
the presidency is due in just two weeks. But there’s so much
to talk about, I don’t know how to even begin to pick a
subject.
M: You know, Mary is doing her graduate work in political
science. She would certainly know how to narrow the topic
down.
What does the man suggest the woman do?
14.
M: You wouldn’t have to have an extra blank cassette I could
buy of you, would you?
W: As a matter of fact, I do.
What will the woman probably do next?
15.
W: My cousin Lisa said she mailed me some books, but they
never came.
M: Well, you just moved into a new dormitory. She probably
sent them out before she had your new address.
What does the man imply?
16.
W: A light jacket like this aught to be warm enough for
today, don't you think? It's been pretty mild the last
couple of days.
M: Ur, I go back in and get something heavier. If you don't
need it when you get to campus, you could always just leave
it in the car.
What does the man suggest the woman do?
17.
M: Excuse me. Prof, since we are having a test next
Wednesday on Chapter 4, I was wondering if there are any
more problems I can work on to review for it.
W: Well. The ones I have I’ve already given out in class,
but it probably wouldn’t hurt to go back and redo a few of
them.
What does the Prof say about problems that can be used for
review?
18.
M: This is incredible! Only the first day of our Modern
American History course and we’ve already been assigned to
read three chapters by the next time we meet.
W: If that surprises you, then obviously you never had a
class before with Prof Smith.
What does the woman imply?
19.
M: Excuse me. This roommate matching questionnaire is so
long and I am kind of in a hurry. Do I have to answer all
the questions?
W: Just the first side, the ones on the back are optional.
What does the woman mean?
20.
M: Isn’t this a terrific painting? It looks great on the
wall in my office.
W: To be honest, I don’t know what you see in it.
What does the woman mean?
21.
W: Did you hear what George did last night? He was cooking
dinner for the members of the drama club and he spilled
spaghetti sauce all over the kitchen.
M: Doesn’t surprise me one bit, he did the same thing last
semester, only with the Spanish club and chocolate syrup.
What does the man imply about George?
22.
M: You are not planning to transfer to a different U. next
year, are you?
W: If I were, you’d be the first to know.
What does the woman imply?
23.
M: There is nothing I hate worse than straightening up my
apartment before a party.
W: It’s not so stressful if you don’t wait until the last
minutes.
What does the woman imply the man should do?
24.
M: What are you doing cooped up here in the lounge on such a
beautiful spring day? I can’t understand why everyone isn’t
out there in the fresh air, getting some sunshine.
W: You won't be saying that if you have my allergies.
What does the woman imply?
25.
W: You’ve made enough soup to feed an army.
M: This way we’ll have plenty left over for lunch tomorrow.
What does the man mean?
26.
M: I’m really torn. I need a new bicycle, and I just can’t
decide which one to get. There are just too many different
kinds to choose from.
W: Don’t ask me. As far as I am concerned, a bike is a bike;
it’s just transportation.
What does the woman mean?
27.
M: I was surprised to see Ed in the job center today. Do you
think he’s unhappy over admissions? He’s about the best
worker they have over there.
W: I know. But I hear that his boss’s never said a thing to
him to acknowledge that. And how would you feel if you’ve
been there 3 years and still made the same salary?
What does the woman imply?
28.
M: Did you get caught driving in that downpour after work
yesterday? Everyone
had their lights on and I could hardly see where I was
going.
W: That must have been a local storm. I go home in the
office direction and it was fine.
What does the woman mean?
29.
W: Now that was a delicious meal, shall we order dessert?
M: Not if we expect to make it back in time for our
two-o’clock lecture.
What does the man mean?
30.
M: Matthew’s just told me he is moving to a new apartment,
way over in Oakville. That’s so far away. Can you believe
it?
W: Oh, so that’s why he’s trying to buy a car.
What can be inferred about the woman?
Part B
31-34 new students on campus
M: I see you still got all your suitcases with you too. We
must have the same problem.
W: Let me guess. Your room’s been given to someone else?
M: Yep.
W: I don’t get it! They sent me my room number a long time
ago.
M: Me too. Well, at least there is room in another dorm,
Bundy Hall.
W: That’s where they’re putting me too. But you’ll realize
that unless you have a car, Bundy is at least at 25 minutes
walk from the center of campus. And don’t count on taking
the campus bus, it runs at really inconvenient time.
M: Great way to start your college career. But, I don’t
know, maybe there is a positive side of all these. Since
we’ll be so far away from everything, we’ll be forced to use
our time wisely.
W: True. I’ve heard lots of first year students get into
trouble because they hang out every day in the student
center till it closes.
M: Exactly! And not only that, we will get plenty of
exercise from all that extra walking.
W: Yeah. And that is not exactly easy walking either. Around
here you just about need a pair of hiking boots, and to
enjoy mountain climbing.
M: You count to get avoid there. But at least there are
great vistas from some of the buildings, not to mention the
possibility of some serious sled riding when it snows.
31. What problems do the students have?
32. What does the woman imply about the campus?
33. What is one disadvantage of living in Bundy Hall?
34. According to the man, what mistake do many first year
students make?
35-38 social psychology
M: One of the most common questions we ask about people’s
behavior is why. Why she say this? Why he do that? Sometimes
the reason is obvious, for example, someone is driving down
the street, the light turns red, they stop, why?
W: Because they have to, legally I mean.
M: Exactly! In this case the reason is obvious, so we
usually don’t question it. But when the reason is not so
obvious and especially when the behavior could have negative
consequences, we’ll more likely to feel a need to explain
the causes of the behavior. Social psychologists have a term
for this, for the process of explaining the causes of
behavior, it’s called causal attribution. And one theory
suggests, there’s a pattern in the way we go about
attributing causes to people’s behavior. According to this
theory, there are two categories of reasons: internal
factors and external factors. Again, Lisa, say you’re
driving down the road and all of a sudden some guy turn into
the lane right in front of you, and you have to slam on your
brake to avoid an accident. How do you react?
W: I’ll probably get very angry.
M: Because….
W: Well, he’s not paying attention, he’s a bad driver.
M: So you automatically attribute the driver’s behavior to
an internal factor. He himself is to blame because he is
careless.
W: So if I said it was because of heavy traffic or
something, I’d be attributing his behavior to an external
factor, something beyond his control.
M: Good. Now how do you usually explain our own negative
behavior?
W: We blame external factors.
M: That’s right.
35. What is the main topic of the discussion?
36. According to the Prof, when are people likely to try to
explain someone else’s behavior?
37. The Prof mentions an example of a driver who stops at a
red light. What does he use the example to demonstrate?
38. According to the discussion, how do most people explain
their own negative behavior?
Part C
39-43 geology
Today, I’d like to talk about some of the changes land can
undergo, specifically desertification, that’s the process
through which land becomes part of a desert. Now a desert is
defined as a place that receives a certain maximum amount of
rainfall. But you may not know that it usually takes more
than just a lack of water to turn productive land into a
desert. There are several specific human activities that
when combined with a lack of rainfall encourage
desertification. For example, over cultivation, growing more
crops than soil can support. The soil loses its nutrients,
so it needs either to be fertilized or to be left unused for
at least a season. But if neither of these things happens,
if these nutrients in the soil don’t get replaced, the
damaged soil stops producing. Another cause of
desertification is overgrazing. That’s when the grasses and
trees and shrubs of an area are expected to feed more
animals than they reasonably can. Too many animals eating in
the same area will kill the vegetation. And because it’s the
roots of this vegetation that hold much of the soil
together, when too much of the vegetation dies, the soil
erodes. But maybe the most ironic example of human behavior
that can lead to desertification is irrigation. It may seem
to run counter to common sense to say that introducing water
into an area can cause it to become more like a desert. But
there are plenty of bad irrigation practices that do just
that. Bringing in too much salty water and then not
providing adequate drainage for it will fill the soil with
salt, and turn the area into a desert.
39. What is the main topic of the talk?
40. How is the soil damaged by over cultivation?
41. What is over grazing?
42. How does over grazing damage soil?
43. According to the speaker, what is the main problem with
irrigation?
44-47 biology
I’ve mentioned how DNA have solved many mysteries in
biology. And today I want to talk about how it might relate
to hypothesis about the travels of the green turtle. Every
winter some green turtles make a 2000 km journey from Brazil
to Ascension Island in the middle of Atlantic, where they
mate and lay eggs. But the question is why do they travel so
far to lay their eggs? One researcher hypothesized that
there are two parts to the explanation. One is natal homing,
the instinct that drives green turtles to always return to
the beach where they were hatched. The second part has to do
with continental drift, the theory that the positions of
earth continents have changed considerably overtime. Brazil
and Ascension Island were once much closer together, and
continental drift drove them apart. But the turtles kept on
going back to the island where they hatched. However another
scientist question this explanation on the ground that it
would be very unlikely that conditions would allowe
generations of turtles over hundreds of millions of years to
keep going back to the same nesting ground every single
year. So, what is the connection to DNA? Well, there are
groups of green turtles that nest in locations other than
the Ascension Island. If green turtles always return to the
place where they were hatched, then the turtles that have
been going to the Ascension Island to nest would’ve been
genetically isolated long enough to have DNA that was very
different from the green turtles that nest else where. But
when scientists examine DNA from these turtles, their DNA
wasn’t that different from the DNA of the turtles that go to
Ascension Island. Do you have a shock? Well, we still don’t
know the answer to the question about why a certain group of
turtles go to Ascension Island, but this study was a nice
example of the usefulness of DNA analysis to biology.
44. What does the Prof mainly discuss?
45. What do green turtles do when they get to Ascension
Island?
46. According to one hypothesis, why do green turtles go to
Ascension Island?
47. How is DNA used in research on green turtles?
48-50 history
As I am sure you are aware, history is full of people who
were so admired that over the centuries they become almost
mythical figures. George Washington is a good example.
Everyone knows this story about his chopping down the cherry
tree when he was young and bravely confessing to his
mischief later. People greatly admired Washington’s
integrity. And so, out of that, this story evolved, even
though no one knows for sure whether the incident ever
occurred. Then there is the American Indian, Poke Hunters,
beloved by history for making peace between the English
Colonies and the American Indians. The history of her life
has also become somewhat mythical. At the historical society
exhibit next week, we’ll see many artistic works depicting
the major events of her life. And while we are there,
keeping in mind that much of what you’ll see in the
paintings reflects how much she was admired, but not
necessarily the fact of her life. For instance, one painting
shows her saving the life of Jon Smith, an English Colonist,
who had been captured by her tribe. Smith, so the story
goes, was about to be executed when twelve-years-old Poke
Hunters lay her head on top of his. Tells you a lot about
her courage. But Jon Smith himself related this story only
years after Poke Hunters had become famous, which suggests
that he may have embellished the truth a little bit, as many
of the works that we’ll see in next week may have done.
Something else to remember: paintings portrait her physical
appearance in many different ways, but always flattening
ways. Yet only one picture of her was ever painted while she
was living.
48. Why does the speaker mention the story about George
Washington and the cherry tree?
49. According the speaker, why is Poke Hunters famous?
50. What does the speaker imply about most of the paintings
of Poke Hunters?
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