SECTION 4: LISTENING TEST

Part A: Note-taking and Gap-filling

　　We all have problems and barriers that block our progress or prevent us from moving into new areas. We put boundaries on our experiences. We limit what we allow ourselves to be, to do, and to have.

    Problems often work like barriers. When we bump up against one of our problems, we usually turn around and start walking along a different path. And all of a sudden—bump! -- We’ve struck another barrier. And we turn away again.

     Our problems might include the fear of speaking in front of a group, anxiety about math problems, or the reluctance to sound silly trying to speak a foreign language. We might have a barrier about looking silly when trying anything new. Some of us even have anxiety about being successful.

     It's natural to have barriers, but sometimes they limit our experience so much we get bored with life. When that happens, consider the following three ways of dealing with a barrier.

     One way is to pretend it doesn't exist. Avoid it, deny it, lie about it. It's like turning your head the other way, putting on a fake grin, and saying, "See, there's really no problem at all. Everything is fine. Oh, that problem. That's not a problem, it's not really there." In addition to looking foolish, this approach leaves the barrier intact, and we keep bumping into it. We deny the barrier and might not even be aware that we're bumping into it. For example, a student who has a barrier about math might subconsciously avoid enriching experiences that include math.

     A second approach is to fight the barrier, to struggle against it. This usually makes the barrier grow. It increases the barrier's magnitude. A person who is obsessed with weight might constantly worry about being fat. He might struggle with it every day, trying diet after diet. And the more he struggles, the bigger the problem gets.

     The third alternative is to love the barrier. Accept it. Totally experience it. Tell the truth about it. Describe it in detail. When you do this, the barrier loses its power. You can literally love it to death.

     Suppose one of your barriers is being afraid of speaking in front of a group. You can use any of these three approaches.

      First, you can get up in front of the group and pretend you're not afraid. You can fake a smile, not admitting to yourself or the group that you have any concerns about speaking--even though your legs have turned to rubber bands and your mind is jelly. The problem is, everyone in the room will know you're scared, including you, when your hands start shaking and your voice cracks.

     The second way to approach this barrier is to fight it. You could tell yourself,

"I'm not going to be scared," and then try to keep your knees from knocking. Generally, this doesn't work. In fact, your knee-knocking might get worse.

      The third approach is to get up in front of the room, look out into the audience, and say to yourself, “I am scared. I notice that my knees are shaking, my mouth feels dry, and I'm having a rush of thoughts about what might happen if I say the wrong thing. Yup, I'm scared and that's OK. As a matter of fact, it's just part of me, so I accept it, and I'm not going to try to change it. I'm going to give this speech even though I'm scared." You might not actually eliminate the fear; however, your barrier about the fear--which is what stops you--could, well disappear. And you might discover that if you examine the fear, love it, accept it, and totally experience it, the fear itself also disappears.

       Applying this process is easier if you remember two ideas:

       First, loving a problem is not necessarily the same as enjoying it. Love in this sense means total and unconditional acceptance.

       Second, "unconditional acceptance" is not the same as unconditional surrender. Accepting a problem is different than giving up or escaping from it. Rather, this process involves escaping into the problem--diving into it headfirst and getting to know it in detail. Often the most effective solutions come when we face a problem squarely, with eyes wide open. Then we can move through the problem instead of around it. When you are willing to love your problems, you drain them of much of their energy. (739)

Part B: Listening and Translation

1. Sentence Translation

Sentence 1:

When you talk to people, don’t just focus on their words. Take note of their body language, voice tones, and expressions. These will tell you more about the people you are talking with. (33)

Sentence 2:

Some early childhood education expert says a person's brain grows fastest in infant period. Therefore, receiving no timely preschool education during this period will be unfavorable to the future development of the children. (33)

Sentence 3:

Leeds is close to the geographical centre of Britain. It is 200 miles north of London and 200 miles south of Scotland's capital, Edinburgh. It is an ideal centre from which to visit other parts of the country.(38)

Sentence 4:

Human beings live according to the precepts and principles of their culture, but they are also unique individuals. While they are socio-cultural products, they also remake and change their society and culture. (32)

Sentence 5:

U.S. markets were closed Thursday for the Thanksgiving holiday, and closed at 1 p.m. on Friday. Stocks didn't have much momentum in a week of light trading. The market made its biggest weekly gain of 2015 last week. (38)

2. Passage Translation

Passage 1

　　The term “Information Age” refers to the post industrial world we live in – that’s the time since about 1970, when making goods from raw materials was no longer the biggest industry. Instead, the biggest business in developed countries has been information, which we have more access to thanks to email, the Internet, TV, and cell-phones. Information can also be bought or sold. For example, some companies make money by telling other businesses about the kinds of things you and your family like doing, so they can sell you things. Of course, it is a violation of privacy if your personal information has been disclosed deliberately to strangers for unlawful purposes.(110)

Passage 2:

　　There's a revolution going on in America's married couples: you may call it the rise of the breadwinning wives. More women than ever are out-earning their husbands by significant margins, according to new data released by the U.S. Census. More women are now the breadwinners in their families. Married women who earn more than their husbands tend to be white, college-educated and older. About 9 percent of wives earn at least $30,000 more than their husbands. Another 11 percent of women earn between $5,000 to $30,000 more than their husbands. That means nearly one out of five wives is now earning a significant chunk of change more than their husbands are. (111)

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