Audioscripts Listening Practice Test 28

SECTION 1

You will hear a conversation about accommodation rules.

Advisor:               Good morning, everyone. I’m your accommodation advisor.

Well, firstly welcome to Thomas House which is one of the most popular accommodations in our university. I will give you an introduction about the house and answer your questions. As you know, the building was constructed in the middle of the 18th century and was used by the family of Thomas (Q1). That’s of course how the house and university got his name. We repaired it and added some new and modern facilities last year…

Student:              Excuse me, advisor.

Advisor:               Yes?

Student:              What kind of facilities are there in Thomas House?

Advisor:               There are three floors. A front fall and a dining room are on the ground floor.

Student:              Does the house have a garden?

Advisor:               Of course.

Student:              And a garage?

Advisor:               No, we don’t provide parking lot to students. (Q3)

Student:              OK.

Advisor:               A small Gym with some new equipment is on the second floor.

Student:              Does it have a computer room? (Q2)

Advisor:               No. I mean a leisure room on the second floor and you can find a comfortable land with big balcony on the same floor.

Student:              How about bedroom and bathroom?

Advisor:               They are both on the top.

Student:              How many students are there in one flat?

Advisor:               Four to six.

Student:              I wonder if I have to share a bathroom with others.

Advisor:               No. We provide every student a bedroom and bathroom.

Student:              Great.

Advisor:               There are some rules in Thomas House. Firstly, smoking (Q4) is not allowed in both your bedroom and bathroom.

Student:              Does the house have a smoking section?

Advisor:               No. You can smoke on balcony or outside the house.

Student:              Advisor, is there a laundry (Q5) in the house?

Advisor:               Of course. Laundry room is located on the right corner of the second floor.

Student:              Sure.

Advisor:               But please do not use it after 11 o’clock.

Student:              Is it free to us?

Advisor:               In fact, you don’t need to pay any bills which are included in your accommodation fee. But you have to pay laundry fee.

Student:              How much?

Advisor:               We offer two coin-operated washing machines. The large one is two pounds fifty and the small one is one pound sixty.

Student:              If the lounge has a time restriction?

Advisor:               Definitely. We ask all students to keep quiet and do not make noise (Q6) after 11 o’clock.

Student:              We know there is a backyard in the house.

Advisor:               Yes.

Student:              If we can park our car there?

Advisor:               No. We do not allow parking (Q7) in our yard.

Student:              OK. Could we invite some friends to hold a party (Q8) in the garden or lounge?

Advisor:               We only allow party on weekends.

Student:              Fine.

Advisor:               The last rule is to pay attention to the opening time of the Front Hall. The door is locked at 11 p.m. and opened again at 6 a.m. (Q9) in the next morning. Remember to take the front door key (Q10) when you go out early or come back late.

Student:              How could we get the front door key?

Advisor:               You can go to residents office building and get your key in Room 101.

Student:              Sure.

Advisor:               Well, any questions?

SECTION 2

You will hear an introduction about sports matches.

Good morning everyone. I am Mary White, the Secretary of the Exciting Sports Club. Welcome to attend matches arrangement meeting. I know you are looking forward to a great season. Now I’d like to give you a short introduction to our arrangement in this season.

This season we still have two competitions. One is tennis and the other is soccer. Let’s start with tennis. There will be six (Q11) teams competition. We hope the players’ ages are between 16 and 22 years old. While the number of soccer teams is only four in this season. Because we hope all players’ ages are no more than 20 (Q12) years old. Now, in this new season there are some changes. The first one is the venue (Q13). We will arrange all our matches for both the tennis and soccer competitions in Magic Park instead of Darry Park which was used last year. Tennis matches will be arranged on court 2 and court 4 (Q14) will hold soccer matches.

On our match schedule all tennis matches will be played on Sunday afternoons (Q15). All matches will begin at 2 o’clock. Soccer matches in this season will be played at 7 o’clock on Saturday evenings. The joining fee is still 30 pounds including a new sport gear. We still offer a week of training session before formal match for our new players. There are two training session at 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. on next Friday and Saturday afternoon. The fee is only 12 pounds. Now I’d like to introduce the coach (Q16) of each training session. George Hansen who has been supervised the tennis teams for over four years will still be coach this season. While, we will invite a good soccer coach who has enough patience and professional skills to work as this season soccer coach. His name is Paul Bhatt. (Q17)

In addition, we offer some activities to thank all players. Please look at your brochure. There are some activities and their time arrangements. At beginning we hope to start the season with a barbecue dinner (Q18) on next Saturday in Magic Park. I do really hope all players will go there to enjoy the dinner and you may invite your relatives and friends. Of course they have to pay a listed fee with just 5 pounds.

And then, after the final match in this season, we will vote this season’s MVP (Q19) (the most valuable player). The two players from tennis team and soccer team will gain an honour and a prize from our sports centre. This season we hope all players can send a confirm letter (Q20) to us to ensure our match arrangement. So please write to us before the deadline – it is on Thursday, 18th April. Our secretary – David Black – is in charge of collecting fees and your letters in this season. His room number is 214 and his phone is 332567 (fade)…

SECTION 3

You will hear a conversation about student thesis.

(knock at door)

Assistant: Come in please.

Man:     Good afternoon. Oh, I am sorry. Is it Professor Lee’s office room?

Assistant: No. It is room 640. His new room number is 614 (Q21) on the right of this corridor.

Man:     Thanks a lot.

Assistant: You are welcome.

(knock at door)

Professor Lee: Come in please.

Man:     Good afternoon, Professor Lee.

Professor Lee: Good afternoon. Come in please. I remember our tutorial time is at two o’clock (Q22), right?

Man:     Really? Oh, I am so sorry. I remember it is at half past one. So, I… I go to common room to wait for thirty minutes. OK?

Professor Lee: No, no. I am free now. Let’s begin.

Man:     I am so sorry.

Professor Lee: That doesn’t matter. So, how about your work?

Man:     In fact, Professor Lee, can I get an extension of time to hand in my work? I mean I hope to extend my thesis deadline. (Q23)

Professor Lee: James, you know extension is usually given only for medical or accident reasons. So what’s your problem? You have a good beginning with your draft. Isn’t it right?

Man:     Yes. While, I… I’m having too many reading materials (Q24) to read. Too many?

Professor Lee: How many?

Man:     Besides academic journals I have about 15 books to read next month. I don’t think I can finish them.

Professor Lee: Oh, darling, you do not need to read them all.

Man:     What do you mean?

Professor Lee: I mean you can choose some parts of these books which can help your work.

Man:      Really? Could you give me some suggestions ?

Professor Lee: Sure.

(5 seconds pause)

Professor Lee: Do you bring your reference book list?

Man:     Yes. I take it.

Professor Lee: Let’s see. First, the book by Bayer, I think it is really worth reading.

Man:     Read it all? (Q25)

Professor Lee: Yes. The topic of the book is nearly the same field with you.

Man:     OK… I’ll read Bayer’s book.

Professor Lee: The next author is Oliver.

Man:     I heard that his argument (Q26) is very strong. But the book is a little difficult.

Professor Lee: You are right. But I still recommend you to know about his argument which will give you a lot of help.

Man:     Fine. Do you think I should read Billy’s book?

Professor Lee: About Billy, I have to say his work is very good, especially his research method, but you do not need to read it now. (Q27)

Man:     Right. The last author is Andrew. How about his book?

Professor Lee: In my opinion, the one by Andrew says the research findings – I mean his last part is very excellent (Q28), clear and persuasive.

Man:     I agree with you. I am reading the book now.

Professor Lee: Great.

Man:     How about others?

Professor Lee: I suggest you finish these books next month and then we will talk about others, OK?

Man:     OK.

Professor Lee: Have you begun your research work?

Man:     Yes.

Professor Lee: How are things going?

Man:     That’s OK, except the research method.

Professor Lee: What’s wrong with the method?

Man:     I have made some interviews.

Professor Lee: Yes.

Man:     But I found that they couldn’t give me the data I need.

Professor Lee: Who are the interviewees?

Man:     Some are our classmates and others are schoolmates.

Professor Lee: Oh, no. James. It’s better for you to interview some professionals. (Q29)

Man:     Do you think it is better for me to change another research method such as questionnaire?

Professor Lee: I don’t think you will have enough time to design it and then analyze your research data. That will waste you a lot of time.

Man:     You are right.

Professor Lee: And pay attention to your reference.

Man:     Reference books?

Professor Lee: No. I mean you should make clearly about what reference books you read (Q30) and then write them after your thesis.

Man:     OK. I will make them clear.

Professor Lee: Fine. I hope to see your work quickly.

Man:     I hope too. Thanks for your help, Professor Lee.

Professor Lee: That’s OK. See you next time.

Man:     See you.

SECTION 4

You will hear a conversation about astronomy.

Woman: This is “Magic Time” from the BBC. I am Faith. In today’s programme we invite a professor of astronomy. Welcome Lewis.

Man:     Thanks a lot, Faith.

Woman: What magic information will you introduce to us?

Man:     We all know the Leonids in August are coming, so today let’s talk about meteors.

Woman: Good topic. At one time or another, almost everyone has glimpsed a swift little streak of light dashing across the night sky. Nearly everyone makes wishes when they see them and blame both good and bad luck on their presents.

Man:     Yes. These sudden celestial visitors are meteors. We often call it “shooting star” (Q31). The glowing trails are caused by the incineration of a piece of celestial debris entering our atmosphere.

Woman: Many meteors are quick flashes, but some last long enough for us to track their brief course across the sky.

Man:     Right. Now and then, a meteor truly will light up the night, blazing brighter than Venus – although rarely, even brighter than the Moon – leaving in its wake a dimly glowing trail that may persist for minutes.

Woman: Lewis, can we see some meteors every night in one year?

Man:     Yes. Under a dark sky, any observer can expect to see between two and seven meteors each hour any night of the year. These are sporadic meteors.

Woman: Sporadic meteors?

Man:     Yes. Their source bodies – meteoroids – are part of the dusty background of the inner solar (Q32) system. Several times during the year, Earth encountered swarms of small particles that greatly increase the number of meteors. The result is a meteor shower, during which observers may see dozens of meteors every hour. Concentrations of material within the swarms may produce better-than-average displays in some years, with rates of hundreds per hour. And we’re treated to a truly amazing display in which thousands of visible meteors can be seen for a brief period. The phenomenon is called meteor storms which are more magnificent than meteor showers. (Q33)

Woman: Ah ha! That’s wonderful!

Man:     Definitely. The meteors that appear during a meteor shower seem to come from one point in, the sky. This illusion is an effect of perspective, just as a roadway seems to converge in the distance. Usually, meteor showers get the name of the constellation from which the meteors appear to radiate. Such as during the Perseid shower in August, meteors seem to streak from a point in the constellation Perseus.

Woman: When is the biggest meteor storm?

Man:     According to records, in 1833 (Q34) a storm of 60,000 meteors an hour shocked the world.

Woman: 60,000? That’s unbelievable!

Man:     By the 1860s, scientists had known that many meteor showers were annual – including the normally Placid Leonids, which produced the big storm – and that they were somehow related to comets. (Q35)

Woman: Really?

Man:     Yes. But most of the meteors people have seen during one of the annual showers arise from fluffy particles not much larger than sand grains. As a particle enters Earth’s atmosphere, it collides with gas atoms and molecules. The particle becomes wrapped in a glowing sheath of heated air and vaporized material boiled off its own surface.

(5 seconds pause)

Woman: Whether meteor is very near to us when it appears?

Man:     No. In fact, it is an illusion. However even well-trained professionals can be fooled. Such as airline pilots have swerved to avoid meteors that were actually 160 kilometers away. A meteor that appears brighter than any of the stars and planets is a fireball. (Q36)

Woman: Fireball? That’s so interesting

Man:     Yeah. Most meteors are seen 80 to 120 kilometres above the ground. Sometimes, someone will claim to see a viable land on a hilltop, but in fact a real fireball first appears at a height of about 125 kilometers and loses its brightness while still at least 20 kilometres above the ground.

Woman: Yes. What colours do meteors have?

Man:     Usually, most meteors look white (Q37). but some also appear blue, green, yellow, orange, or even red.

Woman: What will happen if a meteoroid gets to the surface of the Earth without being completely vaporised?

Man:     It will be meteorite.

Woman: I heard meteorites were long ago thought to be cast down as gifts from angels.

Man:     Yes. And others thought the gods were displaying their anger.

Woman: Really?

Man:     As late as the 17th Century, many believed they fell from thunderstorms (Q38) (they were nicknamed “thunderstones”). Many scientists didn’t believe the accounts of people who claim to have seen meteors and some experts were skeptical that stones could fall from the clouds or the heaven.

Woman: Yes.

Man:     One of the most significant meteorite events in recent history destroyed hundreds of square miles of forest in Siberia on June the 30th (Q39)1908. According to local witnesses a ball of fire streaked through the sky and seemed to enter the atmosphere at an oblique angle. It exploded, sending out hot winds and loud noises and shaking the ground enough to break windows in nearby villages. Small particles blown into the atmosphere lit the night sky for several days.

Woman: So, nowadays, the prevailing theory holds that a meteor exploded just above the surface?

Man:     Yes. Most impact craters and basins larger than the Meteor Crater are heavily worn away or have been buried by rocks and dirt as the earth’s surface changed. At present, Chicxulub Basin centered in Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula is the largest one. The diameter of basin is around 300 kilometres. Rock samples obtained by drilling into the basin show that an asteroid struck the earth there about 65 million years ago. (Q40)

Woman: Does that the same period with the dinosaurs disappeared?

Man:     That’s right. Many scientists believe this debris caused climate changes which made the dinosaurs not survive.

Woman: We do really hope that will never happen again.

Man:     Right.

Woman: OK. Thanks for watching today’s programme. See you next week.

Listening Practice Test 28