Part III Listening Comprehension
Section A
Conversation 1
W：Good evening, and welcome to this week’s business world, the program for and about business people. Tonight we have Mr. Steven Kayne, who has just taken over and established bicycle shop. Tell us, Mr. Kayne, what made you want to run your own store?
M: Well, I always loved racing bikes and fixing them. When I was working full-time as a salesman for a big company, I seldom had time to enjoy my hobby. I knew then that as soon as I had enough money to get my own business going, I’ll do it. I had my heart set on it and I didn’t let anything stand in my way. When I went down to the bank and got a business loan, I knew I’d love being my own boss. Now my time is my own. I open the store when I want and leave when I want.
W: You mean you don’t keep regular hours?
M: Well, the sign on my store says the hours are ten to six, but if business is slower than usual, I can just lock up and take off early.
W: Have you hired any employees to work with you yet?
M: Yeah, a couple of friends of mine who love biking as much as I do. They help me out a few days a week. It’s great because we play cards or just sit around and talk when there are no customers.
W: Thank you, Mr. Kayne. We wish you success in your new business.
Question 19-22 are based on the conversation you have just heard.
19.What is the woman doing?
20.What did Mr. Kayne do before he took over the bicycle shop?
21.Why did the man take over a bicycle shop?
22.What do we learn about the people working in the shop?
Conversation 2
W: Well, the main activities in the region were historically steel and paper processing, I think.
M: Yes, but I’m not quite sure about the status of those industries now. Could you tell us something about that?
W: Yes, of course. In fact, they are less significant, but steel-related manufacturing still accounts for 44% of industrial activity. So it’s still very important. In fact, 80% of Spain’s machine tools are from the Basque Country. As for paper processing, there’s still a little. But it’s no longer what it once was in the region. So, is that clear?
M: Yes, thanks.
W: Now, to get back to what I was saying, there’s a lot of unemployment as well as geographical problems in the region.
M: Sorry, Victoria. What do you mean by geographical problems?
W: Well, what I mean is the area is very hilly, mountainous in parts. So there used to be transport problems, now though there are new train links and better roads, but it may be that some smaller towns inland remain not very well connected, is that OK? Does that make sense? When we talk about specific location suggestions for the factory, we’ll see this in more detail, so we’ll come back to this question, OK?
M: OK, right.
W: So I was about to say something about the work force in the region and the level of training and education. In general, it’s very good and improving.
Question 23-25 are based on the conversation you have just heard.
23. What does the woman say about the steel-related manufacturing in the region?
24. What problems hinder the region’s development?
25. What will the speakers discuss later?
【解析】
听力长对话1
点评：第一篇长对话是一期访谈节目，主题是对一位自主创业人士的一次访谈，难度一般，要拿满分应该不难。主持人问及男士是如何想到要自己创业的，自己的自行车行是否有固定营业时间，以及是否雇佣了一些员工。男士则顺着主持人的问话，谈及了自己的创业历程，店里的营业时间与方式等。考生在听的过程中，需要理解这些短语的意思，如have one’s heart on it，意思是“决心，一定要”，stand in the way，意思是“阻碍，挡道”。一般四级考生，这些短语在平常的学习中应该是有所积累的，不是难题。
听力长对话2
点评：这篇长对话围绕该地区的主要经济活动钢铁和纸张加工产业展开。男士对该地区这两大产业的现状不是很熟悉，所以女士为其做解答，介绍了钢铁产业在这一地区所占的重要地位，以及阻碍这一地区发展的主要因素，如地处山区，内地的小城镇依然交通不便。接着，二人则转向了下一个话题，即该地区的劳动力和培训与教育水平。女士这里简单地进行了一个概括，认为整体情况不错并且在不断进步。
这篇长对话难度适中，考生可以先浏览一遍问题，推测出主题，然后带着问题去听，这样做起来就容易多了。这里有一个生单词，可能考生在听的时候会被这样一个单词难倒，Basque country，是指“法国西南端，西班牙北部地区”。不过这个表达不影响做题，考生即使没听懂，也不要在这里纠结，因为浏览过题目就知道，这个不是考察点，所以要继续集中精力往下听。这也是听力的一个技巧，带着问题去听，只抓主要信息以及与问题相关的信息，不重要的疑难点要及时忽略。
