Irma

托福聽力測驗 2人的Conversation (四) 

托福聽力的 conversation 真的非常喜歡以下兩個聽力的內容，圖書館大部分會關於如何應該如何查詢相關資料、做專題的方法、設備的使用狀況等等；跟教授的對話內容就會比較多變，有時會時課程上的討論、有時又是專題安排情況等等，但是相對於lecture而言，conversation 真的會比較簡單，所以這個部分一定要能把握成績，不要任意失分。

Listen to a conversation between a student and a librarian.  

Librarian: Can I help you?  

Student: Yeah, I need to find a review. It’s for my English class. We have to find reviews of the play we are reading. But they have to be from when the play was first performed, so I need to know when that was and I suppose I should start with newspaper reviews and…  

Librarian: Contemporary reviews.  

Student: Sorry?  

Librarian: You want contemporary reviews. What’s the name of the play?  

Student: It’s Happy Strangers. It was written in 1962 and we are supposed to write  about its influence on American theatre and show why it’s been so important.  

Librarian: Well, that certainly explains why your professor wants you to read some of   those old reviews. The critiques really tore the play to pieces when it opened.   It’s so controversial. Nobody had ever seen anything like it on the stage.  

Student: Really? Is that a big deal?  

Librarian: Oh, sure. Of course the critiques’ reaction made some people kind of curious about it. They wanted to see what’s causing all the fuss. In fact, we were on    vacation in New York. Oh, I had to be, eh, around 16 or so, and my parents took me to see it. That would’ve been about 1965.  

Student: So that was the year premier, great, but eh, newspaper from back then weren’t online, so, how do I„  

Librarian: Well, we have copies of all the newspapers in the basement, and all the major papers publish reference guides to their articles reviews, etc. You will find   them in the reference stacks in the back. But I start with 1964, so I think the play had been running for a little while when I saw it.  

Student: How do you like it? I mean just two characters on the stage hanging around and basically doing nothing.  

Librarian: Well, I was impressed. The actors were famous, and besides it was my first   time in a real theatre. But you are right. It was definitely different from many plays that we read in high school. Of course, in a small town the assignments are pretty traditional.  

Student: Yeah, I’ve only read it but it doesn’t seem like it would be much fun to watch.   The story doesn’t progress in any sort of logical matter, doesn’t have real ending either, just stops. Honestly, you know, I thought it was kind of slow and boring.

Librarian: Oh, well, I guess you might think that. But when I saw it back then it was   anything but boring. Some parts were really funny, but Ire member crying too. But I’m not sure just reading it. You know, they’ve done this play at least once on campus. I’m sure there is a tape of the play in our video library. You might want to borrow it.   Student: That’s a good idea. I’ll have a better idea of what I really think of it before I read those reviews.  

Librarian: I’m sure you will be surprised that anyone ever found it radical. But you will see why it is still powerful, dramatically speaking.  

Student: Yeah, it must be something about it, or the professor wouldn’t have assigned it. I’m sure I’ll figure it out.  

Conversation  

Narrator   

Listen to a conversation between a student and a professor.  

Professor: Hey, Jane, you look like you are in a hurry.  

Student: Yeah, things are a little crazy.  

Professor: Oh yeah? What’s going on?   

Student: Oh, it’s nothing. Well, since it’s your class, I guess it’s OK. It’s, it’s just I am   having trouble with my group project.  

Professor: Ah, yes, due next week. What’s your group doing again?  

Student: It’s about United States Supreme Court Decisions. We are looking at the   impact of recent cases on property rights, municipal land use cases, owning   disputes.  

Professor: Right, OK. And it’s not going well?  

Student: Not really. I’m worried about other two people in my group. They are just sitting back, not really doing their fair share of the work and waiting for an A. It’s kind of stressing me out, because we are getting close to the deadline and I feel like   I’m doing everything for this project.  

Professor: Ah, the good old free writer problem.  

Student: Free writer?  

Professor: Ah, it’s just a term that describes this situation, when people in the group seek to get the benefits of being in a group without contributing to the work. Anyway,   what exactly do you mean when you say they just sit back? I mean, they’ve been following the weekly progress repots with me.  

Student: Yes, but I feel like I’m doing 90% of the work. I hate to sound so negative here, but honestly, they are taking credit for things they shouldn’t take credit for. Like   last week in the library, we decided to split up there search into 3 part sand each of us was supposed to find sources in the library for our parts. I went off to the stack and found some really good material for my part, but when I got back to our table, they were just goofing off and talking. So I went and got materials for their sections as well.  

Professor: Um„you know you shouldn’t do that.  

Student: I know, but I didn’t want to risk the project going down the drain. 

Professor: I know Teresa and Kevin. I had both of them on other courses. So, I’m familiar with the work and work habits.  

Student: I know, me too. That’s why this has really surprised me.  

Professor: Do you„does your group like your topic?  

Student: Well, I think we’d all rather focus on cases that deal with personal liberties, questions about freedom of speech, things like that. But I chose property rights.

Professor: You chose the topic?  

Student: Yeah, I thought it would be good for us, all of us to try something new. 

Professor: Um„maybe that’s part of the problem. Maybe Teresa and Kevin aren’t that excited about the topic? And since you picked it, have you thought„talk to them at all about picking a different topic?  

Student: But we’ve got all the sources and it’s due next week. We don’t have time to   start from scratch.  

Professor: OK, I will let you go cause I know you are so busy. But you might consider talking to your group about your topic choice.  

Student: I will think about it. Got to run, see you in class.