4．W：How long has your friend been at your home?
       M：About 10 days．
      W：Did he have a good time?
       M：Yeah．It seemed as if he just got here when it was time for him to say good—bye.
      W：It is certainly a pleasure to see him again and renew old memories．
      M：Well．we talked about college days when we had been best friends，and when we used to have SO many ambitions．
       Q：What can be learned about the man and his friend?

5．W：What happened to you? You look really happy．
       M：My wife voluntarily proposed to invite my best friend to our family party.
      W：Didn’t your wife like your friend?
       M：No，at first she found him a terrible nuisance，but she has finally overcome her dislike for him．           Q：What does the man mean?

6．M：So you have finally decided to end your teaching career，Lucy?
       W：Yes．It has been driving me crazy．My health doesn’t permit me to cope with such a heavy workload at the moment．That’s why I decided to go to Australia to take a rest．
      M：Oh．I see．So that’s why you’ve been so quiet recently．Your periods of silence were not your basic nature，but the result of moods．You really need a change．
       Q：What can we know about the woman?

7．M：I heard just last week that Vicky had got married．
       W：Vicky married? I can’t believe it! Remember how she always said that marriage wasn’t her choice?
       M：But I also heard that Vicky left her husband，just two days after their marriage．
       W：What?
      M：When her husband arose in the morning，Vicky had already gone，without even saying farewell．A porter had carried her trunk to the station and she had taken all early morning train to another city．
     Q：What can we learn about Vicky from the conversation?

8．W：Do you know who that man is?
       M：Which one?
      W：The one in casual clothes．
      M：Oh，that’s David Smith．He’s the one who just moved into the apartment．
      W：Oh，really? He looks kind of interesting．
     Q：What does the woman think of David Smith?

9．W：Do you know anything about Henry?
       M：That name sounds familiar．but I’m not sure．
       W：He’s from New Zealand．He works for IBM．
       M：Have you spoken to him? What’s he like?
     W：He seems to be a very nice man．He’s very friendly and he’s got a good sense of humor．
              They say he’s a man of wit．
      q：what can be learned about Henry?

10．M：Did you hear that Mr. and Mrs. Brown went to Singapore for a vacation last month?
         W：Yeah．Did they enjoy themselves?
        M：It’s hard to say．When they got there．they couldn’t get a room in a good hotel．
         W：That’s too bad．But they really should have made a reservation for a room earlier．
       Q：What can be drawn from the conversation?

11．M：You know Martin? Although we’ve been in the same office for many years．I’ve never been able to figure him out．
silence in which he has unconsciously covered himself, but ...
Q: What does the man mean?

12. W: Have you made your peace with your wife yet?
       M: I've certainly tried, but she refused to talk to me last night. And when I arose this morning, she had already left for her aunt's.
      W: When will she return?
       M: Haven't the slightest idea.
     Q: What happened between the man and his wife?

13. M: What is it like to live here?
      W: It's terrible. It used to be quieter when I went to school here. I still remember that I often sat alone on the bench that stood beneath an oak tree at the edge of the trail.
      M: And nothing disturbed you?
       W: Yeah. Being alone there, my thoughts quickly flew this way and that.
       Q: What does the woman imply?

14. W: When my husband's friend Bob visited us, I just left them alone for the most part.
      M: Why?
       W: Because he was so different from other people and I couldn't understand him.
      M: Did he notice your absence?
      W: No, he didn't. Sometimes 1 imposed my company upon him, accompanying him in his idle walks to the mill.
       M: Did he want you to accompany him?
       W: No, that was the last thing he would desire.
       Q: What does the woman mean?

15. W: Peter is a quiet boy. He seldom says a thing.
M: Well, let me tell you. His brother Tom is just the opposite.
Q: What kind of a person is Tom?

16. M: Do you often see our fellow students?
       W: I did for a while until I left university, but after that not really.
        M: Yeah, I've lost touch with most people as well, but I still see Peggy occasionally.
        W: Oh, yeah. How's she getting on?
      M: Ok, I suppose, but she's had a rough time in the last few years. She got divorced.
       Q: Whom do the man and woman talk about?

17. M: Did you hear about Mrs. Baroda?
W: Yes, I did. She was a~ upright and respectable woman. She was also very sensible. It's a pity that the world has lost a great modern dancer.
Q: What happened to Mrs. Baroda?

18. W: When is your friend going?
        M: Not for a week yet, dear. I don't understand why you ask my friend to leave our house. Actually he gives you no trouble.
       W: No. I should like him better if he did; if he were more like the others, I could plan somewhat for his comfort and enjoyment.
       M: He just came here to take a rest, so please don't make a fuss over him.
       W: Fuss! Nonsense! How can you say such a thing?
       Q: What can be concluded from the conversation?

19. M: Oh, it's you, Mrs. Johnson. Come in and sit down. Now, what was it? Oh, yes, your leg. Has there been any improvement since last week?
       W: Well, no. I'm afraid not, doctor. It's still the same.
       M: I'd better have another look at it. Hmm! Still very swollen. Have you been resting it, as I told you to?
       W: It's so difficult to rest it; doctor, you know, with a house to run, and six children and ...
       Q: What made it difficult for the woman to follow the man's advice?

20. M: You are very nice to me and I've had a delightful time. I really appreciate your inviting me here and spending so much time showing me around.
W: Oh, it was fun for me, too. It gave me a chance to get away from routine and do something a little bit different.
Q: What have the speakers been doing together?

Key: 1. (A)      2. (C)       3. (A)       4. (C)      5. (B)
        6. (A)     7. (B)       8. (B)      9. (D)     10. (A)
        11. (C)     12. (C)      13. (A)      14. (B)     15. (D)
        16. (C)     17. (D)      18. (B)      19. (C)     20. (D)

UNDERSTANDING LONG CONVERSATIONS

(Emma, Bill and Tim are talking about friendship.)
Emma: How important are friends to you, Bill?
Bill: I've never had a lot of friends. I've never regarded them as particularly important. Perhaps that's because I come from a big family -- two brothers and three sisters, and lots of cousins. That's what's really important to me. My family. The different members of my family. If you really need help, you get it from your family, don't you? Well, at least that's what I've always found. What about you, Emma?
Emma: To me friendship.., having friends.., people I know I can really count on... to me that's the most important thing in life. It's more important even than love. If you love someone, you can always fall out of love again, and that can lead to a lot of hurt feelings, bitterness, and so on. But a good friend is a friend for life.
Bill: And what exactly do you mean by a friend?
Emma: Well, I've already said, someone you know you can count on. I suppose what I really mean is... Mm... let's see, how am I going to put this.., it's someone who will help you if you need help, who'll listen to you when you talk about your problems.., someone you can trust. What do you mean by a friend, Tim?
Tim: Someone who likes the same things as you do, whom you can argue with and not lose your temper, even if you don't always agree with him. I mean someone you don't have to talk to all the time but can be silent with, perhaps. That's important, too. You can just sit together and not say very much sometimes. Just relax. I don't like people who talk all the time.

Questions 1 to 5 are based on the conversation you have just heard:
1. What does Bill think of friends?
2. Whom does Bill usually turn to when he runs into difficulties?
3. What does friendship mean to Emma?
4. According to Emma, what may love lead to?
5. What kind of people does Tim like to make friends with?

Conversation 2
W: You know, it doesn't look like you've cleaned the living room.
M: No, I haven't. Ugh. I had the worst day. I am so tired. Look, I promise I'll do it this weekend.
W: Listen, I know the feeling. I'm tired, too. But I came home and I did my share of the housework. I mean, that's the agreement, right?
M: All right. We agreed. I'll do it in a minute.
W: Come on. Don't be that way. You know, I shouldn't have to ask you to do anything. I mean, we both work, we both live in the house, we agreed that housework is...is both of our responsibility. I don't like to have to keep reminding you about it.
M: What's the matter with you today? You are displeased.
W: It's us.
M: What do you mean by "us"?
W: Well, we used to talk to each other before we were married. Remember?
M: What do you mean? We're talking now, aren't we?
W: Oh, yes, but we used to do so much together.
M: We still go to the cinema together, don't we?
W: Yes, but we used to go out for walks together. Remember?
M: Of course, I do.
W: And we used to do silly things, like running barefoot through the park...
M: Yes. I used to catch terrible colds. Honestly, you are being totally ridiculous.
W: But we never argued. You used to think I was wonderful. Once...(sound of the door opening) Where are you going?
M: Back to live with my parents. That's something else we never used to do before we were married. Remember?

Questions 6 to 10 are based on the conversation you have just heard.
6. Where does the conversation most probably take place?
7. What is the agreement between the man and the woman?
8. What are they doing now?
9. How does the man react to the woman's complaints?
10. What will the man do?

Key:
Conversation 1: 1. (C) 2. (A) 3. (B) 4. (A) 5. (D)
Conversation 2: 6. (C) 7. (A) 8. (A) 9. (B) 10. (D)

UNDERSTANDING PASSAGES