Chapter 2: Listening Comprehension
Rejoinders
- Rejoinder: a quick reply to a question or remark.
- For each problem, you will hear a part of a conversation, followed by four answer choices.
- You will then choose the answer that completes the conversation in a culturally and logically appropriate way.
Rejoinder Questions on some Formats
Some questions will directly use question words.
请问图书馆在哪⼉？
(A) 图书馆⾥有很多中⽂书。
%%(B) 图书馆就在那边。%%
(C) 图书馆⼗点开门。
(D) 图书馆⾥有很多学⽣。
HINT: Listen for the question word. After hearing “哪 ⼉”, you will only have to listen for the choice that responds with a place or direction, which is (B).
\
Some questions will be immediately answered and then followed by another question, which you will have to answer to complete the dialogue.
你是从哪个城市来的？我是从华盛顿来的。你呢？
(A) 什么？你连华盛顿都没去过。
(B) 我去过美国的很多城市。
(C) 我可不想去那⼉。
%%(D) 我也是从那⼉来的。%%
\
Some questions will have you analyze a statement, then respond with an appropriate ending.
我哥哥⼀上⽹就什么都忘了。
(A) 他忘了看什么？
(B) 他为什么忘了上⽹？
%%(C) 他在⽹上太专⼼了。%%
(D) 他能记住什么？
HINT: Watch out for statements disguised as rhetorical questions.
- Although “什么” is a question word, it is used as a non-specific descriptive in this context. The appropriate response here is to follow up with empathy instead of further scrutiny, or (C).
\
Some questions will require you to respond to a statement with a euphemism.
(Man) ⽼赵最近好吗？我好久没有看⻅他了。
(Woman) 什么，你还不知道？他已经不在了。
(A) 我也不知道他在不在。
(B) 怎么会呢？他的⾝体⼀直那么好。
(C) 他刚才还在这⾥。
%%(D) 他去哪⼉了？%%
HINT: Be sensitive to unpleasant topics such as death, divorce, and the like. “已经不在了” is a subtle way of saying someone has died, equivalent to “passed away” in English.
\
Listening Strategies
- Listening strategies are techniques that contribute directly to the comprehension and recall of listening input.
Strategy 1: Determining a speaker’s attitude or feelings
- Questions about a person's opinion, attitude, feelings, outlook, or reaction to something are common on the Listening section of the test. Sometimes the speakers will state their attitudes or feelings directly.
Example 1:
(Woman) 你好像有很多⼯作要做。我看你每天都做到很晚才下班。
(Man) ⼯作多有意思呀, 我从来不在乎加班。
How does the man feel about his job?
(A) He hates working overtime.
(B) He doesn’t care much for it.
%%(C) He enjoys it very much.%%
(D) He doesn’t mind it even though it is tedious.
\
- When one person disagrees with another person, he usually will not say so directly.
- He may agree with the other person politely and euphemistically at first, but then use an adversative to counteract his statement (a word that expresses opposition).
- When listening to a conversation like this, students should pay attention to the negatives to figure out what the speaker really thinks.
- Note that adversatives may be introduced by certain adverbs and conjunctions, including:
- “到底” (in the end),
- “最终” (finally),
- “但是” (but, however),
- “可是” (but, however),
- “不过” (but, nevertheless),
- “然⽽” (yet),
- “尽管如此” (in spite of that),
- “另⼀⽅⾯” (on the other hand), and
- “除⾮” (unless).
\
Example 2:
(Woman)
- 爸爸, 物理太难了，我不想学了。我想去读商学院。
(Man)
你⾃⼰的事情⾃⼰决定吧。不过，你最好再想想。要知道, 并不是每⼀个读商学院的⼈都能学好的。
\
What do we learn from the conversation?
(A) The man insists that his daughter should pursue her physics degree.
(B) The man thinks his daughter will be unsuccessful if she gets a business degree.
%%(C) The man advises his daughter to think carefully before making her decision.%%
(D) The man doesn’t have money for his daughter’s studies.
\
- The word “不过” in the man’s statement expresses that his daughter should consider her decision carefully.
\
Example 3:
(Woman) 你听到那个消息了吗？你觉得怎么样？
(Man) 现在，我终于可以睡⼀个好觉了。
How does the man feel when he hears the news?
%%(A) Relaxed%%
(B) Worried
(C) Angry
(D) Happy
\
- “终于可以睡⼀个好觉了” means “relaxed.”
- Adjectives that describe emotions in Chinese are limited, so students should practice and become familiar with the following words:
- 兴奋 ➤ excited
- ⾼兴 ➤ happy
- ⽣⽓ ➤ angry
- 担⼼ ➤ worried
- 失望 ➤ disappointed
- ⼼烦 ➤ irritated
- 沮丧 ➤ depressed
- 渴望 ➤ desirous
- 放松 ➤ relaxed
- 紧张 ➤ nervous
\
Strategy 2: Focusing on stressed words and intonation
中国⼈的名字往往都有⼀定的含义。有的名字包含着出⽣时的地点、 时间或⾃然现象，如“京、沪、晨、冬、雪”等；有的名字包含着⽗⺟对 孩⼦的愿望，如表⽰健康、漂亮、幸福、快乐的“健、美、兴、乐”等 等。男⼈的名字和⼥⼈的名字也不完全相同。男⼈的名字多⽤表⽰强 壮、勇敢的字，如“虎、⻰、伟、强”等；⼥⼈的名字多⽤表⽰温柔、美 丽、⽂静的字，如花、⽟、静等。
\
- When listening to the above passage, students should try to pay attention to the words in bold, as each of them brings out an important point.
- For example,“有…含义” means “has a specific meaning.”
- The leading sentence, “each Chinese name usually has a specific meaning,” expresses the main idea of the selection.
- The stressed words used in the selection, such as, “地点”, “时间”, “现象”, and “⽗⺟…愿 望”, support the main idea.
- Another stressed word, “不,” indicates that male names differ from female names, and vice versa.
- Moreover, the words “强壮”, and “勇敢” further specify some meanings of male names, while the words “温柔”, “美丽”, and “⽂静” specify some meanings of female names.
- Focusing on different intonations will also help students understand listening passages more clearly.
\
Strategy 3: Making inferences
- Inferring is the process of identifying the main idea of a listening passage based on evidence in the passage.
- It involves combining what is heard with relevant prior knowledge.
- Understanding vocabulary that relates to the topic and the main ideas is an essential ingredient of making inferences.
Example 1:
⼋⼗年代的时候，中国⼈过年、过节，或者拜访亲朋好友时, 总是送 ⼀些像蛋糕、糖果、⽔果之类的⼩礼物。后来，⼈们的⽣活⽔平提⾼ 了, 送的礼物也就越来越好, 像送咖啡、维⽣素等的已经不是少数了。随 着⽣活条件和⽂化素质的不断提⾼, ⼈们⼜开始注重精神⽣活⽔平, 于是 送书开始流⾏起来。现在，商店⾥的东⻄应有尽有，买礼物却成了⼈们 头疼的⼀件事。今后随着计算机的普及, 送学习软件可能是最好不过的 礼物了。
How does the man feel when he hears the news?
%%(A) Candies and fruit%%
(B) Coffee
(C) Computers
(D) Book
What will people probably give as presents in the future?
(A) Fruit and candies
(B) Books
%%(C) Computer Software%%
(D) Vitamins
Why do people worry about buying presents?
(A) There are too many people to buy presents for
%%(B) There are too many varieties of presents.%%
(C) There aren’t enough things to choose from.
(D) Presents are too expensive.
\
- If they grasped the key words, which are a variety of presents, then they may well answer the first two questions easily.
- If students notice the essential sentence “商店⾥的东⻄应有尽有，买礼 物却成了⼈们头疼的⼀件事”, they can make an inference to choose the correct answer for question 5.
\
Example 2:
(Man)
- 我把名字写在这⼉了，这⾥填的是出⽣⽇期和出⽣地，这⾥填的是我的家庭地 址。你看，还要填什么？
(Woman)
- 我来看⼀下，嗯，没有什么了。请在这⾥签上你的名字。
What is the man doing?
(A) Asking for information
%%(B) Filling out a form%%
(C) Talking to a friend
(D) Having a birthday party
\
- If students are able to infer something from this series of actions—writing “名字,” “出⽣⽇期,” “出⽣地,” filling out “家庭地址,” and signing—“签上…名字” they will be able to choose the correct answer, (B).
\
Example 3:
(Man) 为什么⼩张不在我们公司做了？
(Woman) 他被解聘了。
Why does Xiao Zhang not work?
(A) He is tired of working.
%%(B) He was dismissed from his job.%%
(C) He’s changing jobs.
(D) The company is too big
\
- If students understand that this dialogue indicates the consequence of an event “被解聘,” they will realize that the correct answer is (B).
\
Strategy 4: Taking Notes
- Taking notes while listening differs from taking dictation.
- Using key words, simple, meaningful symbols, and figures is an important principle of note-taking.
- Names, places, numbers, and occupations, are essential information to include in notes.
- Efficient note-taking helps students better understand listening materials and remember content when answering the questions.
\
(Man)
- 你知道物理⽼师的办公时间是什么时候吗？我有⼀些问题想问问他。
(Woman)
- 请稍等，我帮你看⼀下。他的时间是星期⼀、三、四从下午1点到下午4点，星期 ⼆和星期五从下午6点到晚上8点。
When does the teacher have office hours?
(A) From one to four in the afternoon on Friday
(B) From six to eight in the afternoon on Monday
(C) At ten in the morning on Wednesday
%%(D) At seven in the evening on Tuesday%%
\
- Students’ notes might look like this:
- 1、3、4: 1PM → 4PM;
- 2、5: 6PM → 8PM.
\
Strategy 5: Scanning Questions and Making Predictions
- When scanning, students should underline key words and decide what they need to listen for.
- Pay attention to question words such as where and who that require specific details about places and people.
- Scanning the multiple-choice answers beforehand can help students predict the topics of the test questions and quickly refresh related vocabulary.
- For short multiple-choice answers, quickly looking over them may be sufficient to obtain the relevant information.
- For long multiple-choice answers, vertically scanning the list of choices may help students identify the differences between the choices.
- Before listening, students should analyze the wording of the questions and answer choices and refer to their own knowledge and experience about the topic.
- While listening, students should pay attention to the leading sentence of the introductory paragraph, which usually states the topic of the essay and often outlines the rest of the work.
- Grasping the topic is an important part of understanding the essay as a whole.
- An accurate prediction shows that the student has correctly aligned his or her thoughts with those of the speaker.
- An incorrect prediction implies that the student must learn to listen more carefully.
Example 1:
缺⽔是世界各⼤城市的主要问题。到了2025年，世界上将有三分之⼆ 以上的⼈⼝⽣活在城市。⽬前世界上16%的城市⼈⼝缺少饮⽤⽔，尤其 在⾮洲，缺⽔的城市更多。专家们说，让城市⼈有⽔喝是⼈们⽣活的基 本条件，也是城市发展的主要⽅向。为了解决缺⽔问题，我们要重视⽔ 资源的管理，特别是解决好饮⽤⽔的保存和输送等问题。
What is the main topic of the selection?
(A) Social pressures
(B) Citizens’ needs
%%(C) Shortage of drinking water%%
(D) Population growth
\
- The leading sentence, “缺⽔是世界各 ⼤城市的主要问题”, and the last sentence “为了解 决缺⽔问题”, of the passage indicate that the topic is related to the shortage of drinking water, so (C) is the correct answer.
\
Example 2:
电⼦游戏对⼈们⽣活的各个⽅⾯都有影响。⼀⽅⾯，当⼈们在学习和 ⼯作中感到压⼒⼤的时候，适当地玩玩电⼦游戏，可以使精神得到放 松；但另⼀⽅⾯，那些有杀⼈、抢劫内容的电⼦游戏对⼈们，特别是对 ⻘少年会产⽣不好的影响，再加上⼀些⻘少年整天玩游戏，使其学习成 绩不断下降，让他们对学习越来越没有兴趣。
What is the theme of the passage?
(A) Video games cause grades to go down.
(B) Video games have many positive aspects.
%%(C) Video games influence people.%%
(D) Video games are dangerous.
\
- By scanning the question and answer choices, students will see that:
- (A) and (D) have negative connotations,
- (C) has a neutral connotation, and (B) has a positive connotation.
- The scanning process should help students predict that (C) might be the correct answer since it covers both positive, (B), and negative, (A) and (D), aspects associated with playing video games.
- The first sentence, “电⼦游戏对⼈们 ⽣活的各个⽅⾯都有影响”, which has a neutral connotation, supports (C).
\
Strategy 6: Identifying Key Words and Main Ideas from the Context
- A key word is a word or a concept with special significance.
- In listening tests, key words usually express the key points in the speech or conversation. Some key words directly name places, people, or things.
- Some key words repeatedly appear in the speech or conversation. Students should underline or write down the key words while listening
Example 1:
(Woman) 我找了你半天，你去哪⼉了?
(Man) 我哪⼉都没去，我刚来。
(Woman) 你怎么现在才来？
(Man) 我今天早上睡过头了，只好坐下个航班的⻜机了。
Why was the man late?
%%(A) He got up later than usual.%%
(B) The flight was late.
(C) He forgot the appointment.
(D) His clock was slow.
“睡过头了” is the key word, which indicates that the man got up later than usual.
\
Example 2:
体育已经进⼊现代⼈的⽣活之中，成为⼈们⽇常⽣活中的⼀个重要部 分。在中国，经常参加体育运动的⼈数是总⼈⼝的18%，⽽且这个⽐例 还在不断增⻓。在经济⽐较发达的国家中，⽐如美国，经常参加体育运 动的⼈更多。体育⽤它特有的内容和形式吸引了越来越多的⼈，丰富了 ⼈们的⽣活内容，增强了⼈们的体质。
What is the main idea of this report?
(A) More and more Chinese people are taking part in sports.
(B) There are many reasons why people join sports.
%%(C) Sports are a big part of life.%%
(D) There are many different sports.
Which of the following titles fits the report best?
(A) Sports and Economy
%%(B) Sports and Life%%
(C) Different sports
(D) People Who Play Sports
\
Strategy 7: Processing Details
- The art of processing details requires students to focus on detailed information once they have found the main idea and to constantly compare what they hear with what they know about the topic.
- They must listen closely for information that answers the questions what, where, who, and when, and for information about how something is done or why something is happening.
- Questions regarding time and numbers often appear in listening tests.
- Numbers such as dates, ages, and phone numbers are usually given directly, but sometimes students have to know the connection between numbers or do simple math problems in their heads.
- Recordings also may include comparison words such as “多,” “少,” “晚,” “早,” “快,” “慢,” “以前,” “之後” (“之后”), and other number-related adjectives, prepositions, and adverbs.
Example 1:
⼤卫，我是珍妮。我给你打了⼏次电话都没有找到你。你今天中午看 新闻了吗？就是关于早上那场⻋祸的。电视上说，那是我们社区⼀所学 校的校⻋，⻋上⼀名司机和两个学⽣当时就死了，剩下的四位⽼师和六 ⼗三个学⽣也都受伤了。这场⻋祸真是太严重了，我很难过。我想下午 到医院去看看那些受伤的⽼师和学⽣们。你想跟我⼀起去吗？请给我回 个电话。
How many people suffered in the car crash?
%%(A) 70%%
(B) 63
(C) 4
(D) 3
\
Example 2:
各位乘客请注意，我们每天早上7点发⻋，每两个⼩时⼀趟，但是周 末⽐平常晚半个⼩时发⻋。
When did the second bus leave on Saturday morning?
(A) 7:30
(B) 8:00
(C) 9:00
%%(D) 9:30%%
\
Vocabulary associated with specific places
- Campus
- 宿舍、图书馆、实验室、教室、教学楼、运动场、教授、同学、指导 教师、学期、考试、课程、学分、辅导、毕业、功课、报告、奖学⾦
- Restaurant
- 饭馆、服务员、位⼦、桌⼦、菜单、预定、点菜、上菜、主⾷、酒、 果汁、素菜、荤菜、中餐、⻄餐、甜点、⼩费、好吃、饿、渴、味精、 饮料
- Airport
- 机场、登机⼝、座位、航空公司、班机、航班号、安全检查、托运、 ⻜⾏、起⻜、晚点、⾏李、直⻜、转机
- Train station
- 快⻋、慢⻋、直达、晚点、⻋厢、乘客、列⻋员、检票、站台、时刻 表、⾼铁、动⻋
- Hospital
- 医⽣、⼤夫、护⼠、病⼈、⼿术室、急症、⾝体、⽣病、感冒、发 烧、咳嗽、头疼、⽛疼、检查、探访时间、处⽅、打针、吃药、健康保 险
- Post office
- 邮局、营业员、平信、快信、邮票、信封、信、包裹、明信⽚、邮 资、挂号、海运、陆运、联邦快递
- Hotel
- 星级饭店、三星级、四星级、五星级、豪华套间、客房服务、前台、 服务员、订房间、登记、单⼈房、双⼈房、⼊住、结帐、单⼈床、双⼈ 床、⼤床、沙发、电视、台灯
- Library
- 图书馆员、阅览室、⾳像室、开架图书、参考书、⼯具书、开门、关 门、借书证、借书、还书、续借、过期、罚款
- Shopping
- 购物中⼼、⼩卖部、商店、百货商店、市场、早市、夜市、⼤排档、 售货员、顾客、物美价廉、讨价还价、打折、⼤减价、⼤拍卖、贵、便 宜、⼤、⼩、⻓、短、肥、瘦、合适、号、换、退、付钱、找钱、现 ⾦、⽀票、信⽤卡
\
Strategy 8: Ignoring unimportant information
- Students should be aware of redundancy because they can use it to give themselves time to think and identify the important parts of the selection.
- The author expresses just one opinion using several examples, described by long and complicated sentences. Understanding one example is enough to understand the opinion.
\
俗话说，⽣命在于运动。然⽽，⽣活中有⼈对这句话的理解太⽚⾯， 以为只要多运动就⼀定对⾝体健康有好处。为此，有些⼈特别喜欢跑 步、打球这样的运动，实际上这些运动⽅式很不适合中⽼年⼈做，很容 易引起疾病，甚⾄带来死亡。专家认为，对多数中⽼年⼈来说，适当的 体育运动是散步、慢跑、骑⻋、做操和游泳，除了这些以外，每天看看 书，思考思考问题，都对⾝体和⼼理健康有帮助。所以说，⼈们要根据 ⾃⼰的情况，选择适合⾃⼰的运动⽅式。
\
- Before listening, scanning the questions and the answer choices should help students predict the topic of the report, which is “sports and health.” Understanding the sentence “⽣活 中有⼈对这句话的理解太⽚⾯” is the key to understanding the author’s opinion.
\
Strategy 9: Following Audioscripts
- Audioscripts will accompany the listening materials in this book. Students can use the audioscripts to practice listening comprehension skills.
- If students have difficulty understanding recordings, they can refer to the audioscripts to check the vocabulary they do not understand.
- Students should not try to translate entire listening selections because it is more important to focus on the main ideas.
\
\
Chapter 3: Reading Comprehension
\