Listening Script for TPO Test 16 Listening Section 1 Conversation I
Narrator:
Listen to a conversation between a student and a facilities manager at the university.
Student:
Hi. I’m Melanie, the one who’s been calling.
Manager:
From the singing group, right?
Student:
From the choir.
Manager:
Right, the choir. It’s nice to finally meet you in person. So, you are having problems with...
Student:
Noise. Like I explained on the phone we’ve always had our rehearsals in the Lincoln Auditorium every
day at 3 o’clock and it’s always worked just great. But the past few weeks with the noise, it’s been a total
nightmare since constructions started next door on the science hall.
Manager:
Oh, that’s right. They’re building that addition for new laboratories.
Student:
Exactly. Anyway, ever since they started working on it, it’s been so noisy we can barely hear ourselves
sing.
Manager:
Let alone sing.
Student:
Forget about singing. I mean, we keep the windows down and everything, but once those bulldozers get
going, I mean those machines are loud. We’ve already had to cut short two rehearsals and we’ve got a
concert in 6 weeks.
Manager:
Well, that’s not good. I’m assuming you’ve tried to reschedule your rehearsals. They don’t do
construction work at night.
Student:
Iran that by the group, but there were just too many. I mean evenings are really hard. It seems like
everyone in the choir already has plans and some even have classes at night.
Manager:
And what about the music building?
Student:
You know, originally we were booked in one of the rehearsal rooms in the music building, but then we
switched with the jazz ensemble. They’re a much smaller group and they said the acoustics, the sound in
that room, was better for them. So having us moved to a bigger space like the Lincoln Auditorium
seemed like a reasonable idea.
Manager:
But now...
Student:
All that noise. I don’t know. I just wonder if the jazz ensemble knew what was going to happen.
Manager:
Well, that wouldn’t be very nice.
Student:
No. But it really was quite a coincidence. Anyway, now the music building’s fully booked, mornings,
afternoons, everything, we just need a quiet space. And it has to have a piano.
Manager:
A piano. Of course some of the other auditoriums have pianos, but that’s not going to be easy.
Student:
You think they’re pretty booked up?
Manager:
Probably. But it can’t hurt to check. What about Bradford Hall? I remember a piano in the old student
center there.
Student:
At this point, we’d be grateful for any quiet place.
Manager:
Can you... How flexible can you be on times? You said no evenings, but what ill can’t find something
open at 3 o’clock? Can you move earlier or later?
Student:
I wish I could say another time would be okay, but you know how it is, everybody’s already got
commitments for the whole semester 2:30 or 3:30 would probably be okay, but I don’t think we could go
much outside that
Manager:
Well, check with me tomorrow morning. I should’ve found something by then. It might not be ideal...
Student:
As long as it’s got a piano and nobody’s putting up a building next door, we’ll be happy.
Listening Script for TPO Test 16 Listening Section 1 Lecture I
Narrator:
Listen to a part of lecturer in a geology class.
Professor:
Now there are some pretty interesting caves in parts of the western United States, especially in national
parks. There is one part that has over a hundred caves, including some of the largest ones in the world.
One of the more interesting ones is called Lechuguilla Cave. Lechuguilla has been explored a lot in
recent decades. It’s a pretty exciting place I think. It was mentioned only briefly in your books. So can
anyone remember what it said? Ellen?
Male student:
It’s the deepest limestone cave in the U.S.?
Professor:
That’s right. It’s one of the longest and deepest limestone caves not just in the country but in the world.
Now, what else?
Male student:
Well, it was formed because of sulfuric acid, ght?
Professor:
That’s it. Yeah, what happens is you have deep underground oil deposits and there are bacteria. Here let
me draw a diagram.
surface
rock
rock and water
oil and bacteria
Part of the limestone rock layer is permeated by water from below. Those curly lines are supposed to be
cracks in the rock. Below the water table and rock is oil. Bacteria feed on this oil and release hydrogen
sulfide gas. This gas is hydrogen sulfide, rises up and mixes with oxygen in the underground water that
sits in the cracks and fissures in the limestone. And when hydrogen sulfide reacts with the oxygen in the
water, the result of that is sulfuric acid, Ok? Sulfuric acid eats away at limestone very aggressively. So
you get bigger cracks and then passageway is being formed along the openings in the rock and it’s all
underground. Ah yes, Paul?
Male student:
So that water... ft’s not flowing, right? It’s still?
Professor:
Yes, so there are two kinds of limestone caves. In about 90 percent of them, you have water from the
surface, streams, waterfall or whatever - moving water that flows through cracks found in limestone. It’s
the moving water itself that wears away at the rock and makes passageways. Also, in surface water, there
is a weak acid, carbonic acid, not sulfuric acid but carbonic acid that helps dissolve the rock. With a little
help from this carbonic acid, moving water forms most of the world’s limestone caves. When I was
researching this for a study a few years ago, I visited a couple of these typical limestone caves, and they
were all very wet, you know, from streams and rivers. This flowing water carved out the caves and the
structures inside them.
Male student:
But not Lechuguilla?
Professor:
Dry as a bone. Well, that might be a bit of an exaggeration. But it’s safe to say that it’s sulfuric acid and
not moving water that formed Lechuguilla cave and those few other ones like it. In fact, there is no
evidence that flowing water has even gone in or out of the cave. So, it’s like a maze. You have
passageways all around. There are wide passages, narrow ones at all different depths, like underground
tunnels in the limestone. And, since they were created underground and not from flowing surface water,
not all these passageways have an opening to the outside world. And.. .and there is other evidence that
flowing water wasn’t involved in Lechuguilla. We’ve said that sulfuric acid dissolves limestone, right, and
forms the passageways? What else does sulfuric acid do? Paul?
Male student:
Ah, leaves a chemical residue and...
Female student:
Gypsum, right?
Professor:
Yep, you’ll find lots of gypsum deposited at Lechuguilla. And, as we know, gypsum is soluble in water. So
if there were flowing water in the cave, it would dissolve the gypsum. This is part of what led us to the
realization that Lechuguilla is in that small group of waterless caves. And Lechuguilla is pretty much
dormant now. It’s not really forming any more. But, there is other ones like it, for example, in Mexico,
that are forming. And when cave researchers go to explore them, they see and smell, the sulfuric acid
and gases of...er...phew...now, something else, think of rotten eggs. And, it’s not just the smell. Explorers
even need to wear special masks to protect themselves from the gases in these caves. OK? Paul.
Male student:
Yeah, how about what these caves look like on the inside?
Professor:
Well, the formations.. .there is really something. There’s such variety there like nothing anywhere else in
the world, some of them are elaborate looking, like decorations. And a lot of them are made of gypsum
and could be up to 20 feet long. It’s pretty impressive.
Listening Script for TPO Test 16 Listening Section 1 Lecture 2
script written by 新托福真题绿化大师
Narrator:
Listen to part of a lecture in a music history class.
Professor:
Up until now in our discussions and readings about the broken early classical periods, we’ve been talking
about the development of musical styles and genres within the relatively narrow social context of its
patronage by the upper classes. Composers, after all, had to earn a living and those who were employed
in the services of a specific patron, well, I don’t have to spell it out for you, the likes and dislikes of that
patron, this would’ve had an effect on what was being composed and performed. Now, of course, there
were many other influences on composers, um, such as the technical advances we’ve seen in the
development of some of the instruments, uh, you remember the transverse flute, the clarinet and so on.
But I think if I were asked to identify a single crucial development in European music of this time, it
would be the invention of the piano, which, interestingly enough also had a significant effect on
European society of that time. And I’ll get to that in a minute. Now, as we know, keyboard instruments
existed long before the piano - the organ, which dates back to the Middle Ages, as do other keyboard
instruments, such as the harpsichord which is still popular today with some musicians. But none of
these has had as profound an impact as the piano.
Um, the piano was invented in Italy in 1709. The word piano is short for pianoforte, a combination of the
Italian words for soft and loud. Now, unlike the harpsichord which came before it, the piano is a
percussion instrument. You see, the harpsichord is actually classified as a string instrument, since
pressing a key of a harpsichord causes a tiny quill that’s connected to the key to pluck the strings that are
inside the instrument, much the same as a guitar pick plucks the strings of a guitar But pressing the keys
of a piano causes tiny felt-covered hammers to strike the strings inside the instrument, like drumsticks
striking the head of a drum. This striking action is why the piano is a percussion instrument instead of a
string instrument.
Okay, so why is this so important? Well, the percussive effect of those little hammers means that the
pianist, unlike the harpsichordist, can control the dynamics of the sound - how softly or loudly each note
is struck, hence the name, pianoforte, soft and loud. Now artistically for both composers and performers
this was a major turning point. This brand new instrument, capable of producing loud and soft tones,
greatly expanded the possibilities for conveying emotion. This capacity for increased expressiveness, in
fact, was essential to the Romantic style that dominated 19th century music. But I’m getting ahead of
myself
Um, before we get back to the musical impact of this development, I wanna take a look at the
social impact that I mentioned earlier. Now, in the late 1 7005 and the earlier 1 800s, the development of
the piano coincided with the growth of the middle class in Western Europe. Of course folk music,
traditional songs and dances had always been part of everyday life. But as mass production techniques
were refined in the 19th century, the price of pianos dropped to the point that a larger proportion of the
population could afford to own them. As pianos became more available, they brought classical music, the
music which previously had been composed only for the upper classes, into the lives of the middle class
people as well.
One way in particular that we can see the social impact of this instrument is its role in the lives of women
of the time. Previously, it was quite rare for a woman to perform on anything, but maybe a harp or
maybe she sang. But suddenly in the 19th century it became quite acceptable, even, to some extent,
almost expected for a middle-class European woman to be able to play the piano, partly because among
upper-middle class women it was a sign of refinement. But it was also an excellent way for some women
to earn money by giving piano lessons. And some women, those few who had exceptional talent and the
opportunity to develop it, their lives were dramatically affected.
Later we’ll be listening to works by a composer named Robert Schumann. But let’s now talk about his
wife Clara Schumann. Clara Schumann was born in Germany in 1819. She grew up surrounded by pianos.
Her father sold pianos and both her parents were respected piano teachers. She learned to play the
instrument when she was a small child and gave her first public recital at age 9. Clara grew up to become
a well-known and respected piano virtuoso, a performer of extraordinary skill who not only gave
concerts across Europe, but also was one of the first important female composers for the instrument.
Listening Script for TPO Test 16 Listening Section 2 Conversation 2
script written by ThA1t5CJkP
Narrator:
Listen to a conversation between a professor and a student .
Professor
Jeff, I’m glad you drop by. I’ve been meaning to congratulate you on the class leadership award.
Student
Thanks professor Bronson, I was really happy to get it and a little surprised. I mean, there were so many
other people nominated.
Professor
Well, I know the award was well deserved. Now, what can I do for you today?
Student
I needed to talk to you about the medieval history test you know, the one scheduled for Friday afternoon.
Professor
Yes?
Student
Well, there is this trip that my French class is taking. We are going to Montreal for the weekend.
Professor
Montreal? That’s my favorite city. What’ll you be seeing there?
Student
I’m not sure yet. Well, the reason, the main reason I wanted to go is that we’ll be rooming with
French speaking students there, you know, so we can get a chance to use our French to
actually talk with real French speakers.
Professor
It sounds like a good opportunity. But then, there is that test.
Student
Yeah... but.. well, the thing is the bus leaves right in the middle of when our history class meets this
Friday. So, well, I was thinking maybe I could take the test on a different day like Monday morning
during your office hours?
Professor
Eh...Monday morning...um...that would not be...oh wait, let me just see one thing. Aha, okay. That’s
what I thought. So, for your class, I was planning a take-home exam so you could just take the test along
with you. Let’s see, I guess you could come to class Friday just to pick up the test. That way you’d still
make your bus, and then find some quiet time during your trip to complete it and you can bring it to
class Wednesday when I’ll be collecting everyone else’s.
Student
Hmm.. . um...during the trip, well, I guess I could. So I should plan to take my books and stuff with me.
Professor
You’ll definitely need your class notes. I’m giving you several short essay questions to make you think
critically about the points we’ve discussed in class, to state.. .uh state and defend your opinion, analyze
the issues, speculate about how things might have turned out differently. So, you see, I don’t care if you
look updates and that kind of thing. What I want is for you to synthesize information to reflect back on
what we’ve read and discussed and to form your own ideas, not just repeat points from the textbook.
Does that make sense?
Student
Yeah, I think so. You are looking for my point of view.
Professor
That’s right. The mid-term exam showed me that you know all the details of who, where and when. For
this test, l want to see how you can put it all together to show some original thinking.
Student
That’s sounds pretty challenging, especially trying to work it into this trip. But, yeah, I think I can do it.
Professor
I’m sure you can.
Student
Thank you, professor Bronson.
Professor
Have a great time in Montreal.
Listening Script for TPO Test 16 Listening Section 2 Lecture 3
script written by 新托福真题绿化大师 (1223317581 .)
Narrator:
Listen to a part of a lecture in a biology class.
Professor
OK. Let’s continue our discussion about animal behavior by talking about decisions that animals face,
complex ones. Animals, even insects, carry out what look like very complex decision making processes.
The question is how. I mean no one really thinks that, say a bee goes through weighing the pros and cons
of pollinating this flower or that flower. But then how do animals solve complex questions, questions
that seem to require decision making. The answer we’ll propose of course is that their behavior is largely
a matter of natural selection. As an example, let’s look at foraging behavior among beavers.
Beavers eat plants, mostly trees. And they also use trees and tree branches to construct their homes in
streams and lakes. So when they do forage for food and for shelter materials, they have to leave their
homes and go up on land where their main predators are. So there are a number of choices that have to
be made about foraging. So for example, um... they need to decide what kind of tree they should cut
down. Some trees have higher nutritional value than others, and some are better for building material,
and some are good for both... um...aspen trees. Beavers peel off the bark to eat and they also use the
branches for building their shelters. So aspens do double duty. But ash trees, beavers use ash trees only
for construction. Another decision is when to forage for food. Should they go out during the daytime
when it’s hotter outside and they have to expend more energy, or at night when the weather is cooler but
predators are more active?
Ok, but there are two more important issues, really the most central, the most important, OK? First, let’s
say a beaver could get the same amount of wood from a single large tree when it has lots of branches as it
could get from three small trees. Which should it choose? If it chooses one large tree, it’ have to carry
that large piece of wood back home, and lugging a big piece of wood 40 or 50 yards is hard work, takes a
lot of energy. Of course it’ll have to make only one trip to get the wood back to the water On the other
hand, if it goes for three small trees instead, it will take less energy per tree to get the wood back home
but it’ll have to make three trips back and forth for the three trees. And presumably, the more often it
wanders from home, the more it’s likely to be exposed to predators. So which is better, a single large tree
or three small trees?
Another critical issue and it’s related to the first, to the size issue, is how far from the water should it go
to get trees. Should it be willing to travel a greater distance for a large tree, since it’ll get so much wood
from it? Beavers certainly go farther from the water to get an aspen tree than for an ash tree. That
reflects their relative values. But what about size? Will it travel farther
For a larger tree than It will for a smaller tree? Now I would have thought the bigger the tree, the farther
the beaver would be willing to travel for it. That would make sense, right? If you’re going to travel far,
make the trip worth it buy bringing back most wood possible. But actually, the opposite is true. Beavers
will cut down only large trees that are close to the water They will travel far only to cut down certain
small trees that they can cut down quickly and drag back home quickly. Generally, the farther they go
from the water, the smaller the tree they will cut down. They’re willing to make more trips to haul back
less wood, which carries a greater risk of being exposed to predators. So it looks as though beavers are
less interested in
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