Конкретно о заданиях. В первой секции вы слышите пару фраз с магнитофона и должны подобрать из четырёх предложенных письменных ответов наиболее подходящий по смыслу вариант (20 заданий такого рода); затем вы слышите диалог (15–20 фраз) и вопросы относительно этого диалога (мол, о чём шла речь) – и опять отмечаете один из четырёх предложенных вариантов (15 заданий); наконец вы слышите довольно длинный текст (тоже 15–20 фраз) и несколько вопросов к нему, на которые должны ответить тем же порядком (ещё 15 заданий). Такова устная часть теста.
Проиллюстрирую её примерами.
Первый тип заданий – короткий диалог:
Пример 1.
Man: Shall I lock up the computer lab now before I go home?
Woman: Don't bother. I'm not leaving for a while – I can check it on may way out.
Narrator: What will the woman probably do?
Выберите нужный ответ:
A: Lock the computer lab later.
B: Leave with the man.
C: Buy a new lock for the computer lab.
D: Show the man where the lab is.
Пример 2.
Man: Do you mind if I turn the television off?
Woman: Well, I'm in the middle of watching a program.
Narrator: What does the woman impty?
Выберите нужный ответ:
A: The man should watch the program too.
B: The man should leave the television on.
C: The program will be over soon.
D: She'll watch television later.
Пример 3.
Woman: I heard the math requirements for graduation are being changed.
Man: Yes. And I may be short one course.
Narrator: What does the man mean?
Выберите нужный ответ:
A: He isn't sure what course to take.
B: The math course is too short.
C: He may not meet the graduation requirements.
D: The graduation date has been changed.
Второй тип заданий – длинный диалог:
Man: Are you ready for «The Big Apple»?
Woman: Excuse me?
Man: You know, New York City. You are going to New York with us, aren't you? I wanted to show everybody around may old neighborhood.
Woman: Oh... sure! I wouldn't miss it – especially when the tour guide is a native New Yorker.
Man: I thought we could start at the Museum of Modern Art. Right now there's an exhibit on twentieth-century American painters.
Woman: Fine with me... but what were you saying about... a big apple?
Man: «The Big Apple.» It's a nickname for New York. I thing I heard once that it started with jazz musicians in the 20's.
Woman: Oh.
Man: Whenever they played a concert in city, they called that city an «apple». In those days, New York was the biggest city in the country, so they called it «The Big Apple».
Woman: Hey, I have an idea! Let's go to a jazz club while we're there.
Man: Sounds good.
1. Narrator: Where is the man planning to see?
Выберите нужный ответ:
A. An art exhibit.
B. A Broadway play.
C. A modern dance production.
D. An opera.
2. Narrator: What can be inferred about the man?
Выберите нужный ответ:
A. He is a jazz musician.
B. He want to join the woman's club.
C. He is in his twenties.
D. He was born in New York.
3. Narrator: What does the word «Apple» in the phrase «The Big Apple» refer to?
Выберите нужный ответ:
A. An instrument.
B. A city.
C. A theater.
D. A concert.
4. Narrator: Who gave New York its nickname?
Выберите нужный ответ:
A. Painters.
B. Tour guides.
C. Musicians.
D. Grocers.
Третий тип заданий – длинный текст:
Пример 1.
Narrator: Listen to a talk about animal behavior.
Woman: Today's discussion is about a common animal reaction – the yawn. The dictionary defines a yawn as «an involuntary reaction to fatigue or boredom.» That's certainly true for human yawns, but not necessarily for animal yawns. The same action can have quite different meanings in different species. For example, some animals yawn to intimidate intruders on their territory. Fish and lizards are examples of his. Hippos use yawns when they want to settle a quarret. Observers have seen two hippos yawns at each other for as long as two hours before they stop quarreling. As for social animals like baboons or lions – they yawns to establish the pecking order within social groups, and lions often yawns to calm social tensions. Sometimes these animals yawns for a strictly physiological reason – that it, to increase oxygen levels. And curiously enough, when they yawns for a physical reason like that, they do what humans do – they try to stifle the yawns by looking away or by covering their mounths.
1. Narrator: What is the speaker's main point?
Выберите нужный ответ:
A. Animals yawn for a number of reasons.
B. Yawning results only from fatigue or boredom.
C. Human yawns are the same as those of other animals.
D. Only social animals yawn.
2. Narrator: According to the speaker, when are hippos likely to yawn?
Выберите нужный ответ:
A. When they are swimming.
B. When they are quarreling.
C. When they are socializing.
D. When they are eating.
3. Narrator: What physiological reason for yawning is mentioned?
Выберите нужный ответ:
A. To exercise the jaw muscles.
B. To eliminate fatigue.
C. To get greater strenght for attacking.
D. To gain more oxygen.
Пример 2.
Narrator: Listen to an instructor talk to his class about a television program.
Man: I'd like to tell you about an intersting TV program that'll be shown this coming Thursday. It'll be on from 9 to 10 pm on Channel 4. It's part of a series called «Mysteries of Human Biology». The subject of the program is the human brain – how it function and how it can malfunction. Topics that will be covered are dreams, memory, and depression. These topics are illustrated with outstanding computer animation that makes the explanations easy to follow. Make an effort to see this show. Since we've been studying the nervous system in class. I know you'll find it very helpful.
1. Narrator: What is the main purpose of the program?
Выберите нужный ответ:
A. To demonstrate the latest use of computer graphics.
B. To discuss the possibility of an economic depression.
C. To explain the working of the brain.
D. To dramatize a famous mystery story.
2. Narrator: Why does the speaker recommend watching the program?
Выберите нужный ответ:
A. It is required of all science majors.
B. It will never be shown again.
C. It can help viewers improve their memory skill.
D. It will help with course work.
Проверка знания грамматики ведётся во второй секции письменно, с помощью двух типов тестов. Вначале вам предлагаются фразы с пропущенным словом, и надо вставить нужное из четырёх вариантов; затем предлагаются фразы с ошибкой, и нужно указать, где она. В третьей секции вначале предлагаются фразы с выделенным словом, к которому надо подобрать эквивалентное из четырёх предложенных; потом даётся несколько текстов длиною в 10–15 строк, вопросы по этим текстам и по четыре варианта ответа на каждый вопрос. Всего во второй и третьей секциях сотня заданий.
Разумеется, устная часть теста наиболее трудна. Имеется ряд обстоятельств, усложняющих её: непривычный акцент говорящих, специфические американские выражения, и даже то, где вы сядете в аудитории. Например, устроитесь слишком далеко, будете плохо слышать магнитофонную запись. Постарайтесь учесть все мелочи, и в день экзамена не встать с левой ноги.