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Script:

Listen to part of a lecture in an Art History class. The professor has been talking about colossal statues.

Professor: We′ve been looking at colossal statues—works of exceptionally huge size—and their essentially public role, in commemorating a political or religious figure. We′ve seen how some of these statues date back thousands of years . . . like the statues of the Pharaohs of ancient Egypt—which you can still visit today . . . and how others, though surviving only in legend, have fired the imagination of writers and artists right up to our own time, such as the Colossus of Rhodes, that 110-foot statue of the Greek god Helios (HEE-lee-us). Remember, this same word, "colossus"—which means a giant or larger-than-life-size statue—is what today′s term "colossal" derives from.

Now, it was one thing to build such statues, at an equally colossal cost, when the funds were being allocated by ancient kings and pharaohs. But if we′re going to think about modern-day colossal statues, we need to reexamine more closely their role as social and political symbols—in order to understand why a society today—a society of free, tax-paying citizens—would agree to allocate so much of its resources to erecting them. A good example to start out with would be Mount Rushmore.

Now, many of you have probably seen pictures of Mount Rushmore; perhaps you′ve actually visited the place. Mount Rushmore, in South Dakota, is a colossal representation of the faces of four U.S. Presidents: George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln, carved directly into a mountain. Imagine: Each of those faces in the rock is over sixty feet high! Now, carving their faces took over six and a half years, and cost almost a million dollars. And this was in the 1930′s, during the worst economic depression in U.S. history! Does that strike any of you as odd?

Well, I personally think that the Great Depression of the 1930′s actually makes this more understandable, not less so. Often it′s the case that, precisely at times of hard-ship—when the very fabric of society seems to be unraveling and confidence is eroding—uh, that people clamor for some public expression of strength and optimism, perhaps as a way of symbolizing its endurance in the face of difficulty.

So, with that in mind, let′s go back to Mount Rushmore. Actually, the original motivation for a colossal monument in South Dakota had very little to do with all this symbolism . . . and everything to do with money: you see, it was first conceived of basically as a tourist attraction, and it was supposed to feature the images of legendary figures of the American West, like the explorers Lewis and Clark. The government of South Dakota thought it would bring lots of money into the state.

It was only later on that the sculptor—the artist who designed and oversaw the project, a man named Gutzon Borglum—decided the project should be a monument honoring four of the most-respected Presidents in U.S. history—much more than a tourist attraction . . . its very prominence and permanence became perceived as a symbol of the endurance of U.S. ideals and the greatness of the country′s early leaders. So, you see, what began as a tourist attraction became something far loftier.

Let′s look at another example of this phenomenon.

The Statue of Liberty is another colossal statue—(indicating by his tone of voice that his assumption is a near certainty) one that I assume a number of you are familiar with. But, umm, I would guess that—like many people today—you don′t realize that, when it was designed, over a century ago—by a French sculptor—it was intended to symbolize the long friendship between the people of France and the people of the United States—one which dated back to France′s support of the American colonies′ war for independence from the British.

But the shift in the statue′s meaning started soon after it was built. Back in 1883, Emma Lazarus wrote that famous poem—you know, the one that goes: "Give me your tired, your poor . . . ." (pause)and so on and so forth. That poem describes the Statue of Liberty as a beacon of welcome for the entire world. Well, in the early 1900′s, it was put on a plaque on the pedestal that the Statue of Liberty stands on.

From that point on, the Statue of Liberty was no longer perceived as just a gift between friendly republics. It now became a tribute to the United States′ history of immigration and openness.

This association was strengthened in the imagination of the general public just a few decades after the statue′s completion, with the immigration waves of the early 20th century . . . especially since the statue happened to be the first sign of America seen by those immigrants sailing into the port of New York. So, as with Mount Rushmore, the original motivation for this colossal statue was forgotten, and the statue is now valued for more important reasons.

4. According to the professor, why did the state of South Dakota originally want to create a colossal monument?

A.

To honor United States Presidents

B.

To generate income from tourism

C.

To symbolize the unity of society

D.

To commemorate the Great Depression

5. Listen again to part of the lecture, then answer the question. Why does the professor discuss the poem by Emma Lazarus?

A.

To emphasize the close relationship between literature and sculpture

B.

To illustrate how the meaning associated with a monument can change

C.

To stress the importance of the friendship between France and the United States

D.

To point out a difference between Mount Rushmore and the Statue of Liberty

6. What does the professor imply about the poem by Emma Lazarus?

A.

It is one of his favorite poems.

B.

Few people have read the entire poem.

C.

Lazarus was not able to complete the poem.

D.

He does not need to recite the full text of the poem.

Script:

Listen to part of a conversation between a student and a university employee.

Employee: Oh, hello . . . can I help you?

Student: Um . . . yeah . . . I′m looking for professor Kirk, is she here? I mean, is this her office?

Employee: Yes, you′re in the right place— professor Kirk′s office is right behind me—but no . . . she′s not here right now.

Student: Um, do you know when she′ll be back?

Employee: Well, she′s teaching all morning. She won′t be back until . . . let me check . . . hmm, she won′t be back until . . . after lunch. That′s when she has her office hours. Perhaps you could come back then?

Student: Oh, unfortunately no. I have class this afternoon. And I was really hoping to talk to her today. Hey, um, do you know if . . . she′s accepting any more students into her introduction to biology class?

Employee: You want to know if you can take the class?

Student: Yes, if she′s letting any more students sign up, I′d like, I′d like to join the class.

Employee: Introduction to biology is a very popular class, especially when she teaches it. A lot of students take it.

Student: Yeah, that′s why the registrar said it was full. I′ve got the form the registrar gave me, um, with me to get her permission to take the class. It′s all filled out except for her signature. I′m hoping she′ll let me in even though the class is full. You, see I′m a senior this year, and uh, . . . this′ll be my last semester, so it′s my last chance . . .

Employee: Oh, wow, really. I mean, most students fulfill their science requirement the first year.

Student: Well, I mean, um...to be honest, I kept putting it off. I′m not really a big fan of science classes in general, and with the labs and everything, I′ve never quite found the time.

Employee: Your advisor didn′t say anything?

Student: Well, to tell you the truth she′s been after me to take a class like this for a while, but I′m double majoring in art and journalism and so my schedule′s been really tight with all the classes I gotta′ take, so somehow I never . . .

Employee: (politely cutting in) Well, perhaps you could leave the form with me and I′ll see if she′ll sign it for you.

Student: You know, I appreciate that, but maybe I should explain the problem to her in person . . . I didn′t want to do it, but I guess I′ll have to send her an e-mail.

Employee: Hmm. You know, not all professors check their e-mails regularly—I . . . I′m not sure if professor Kirk does it or not. Here′s an idea . . . Why don′t you stick a note explaining your situation under her door and ask her to call you if she needs more information?

Student: Hey, that′s a good idea; and then I can leave the form with you—if you still don′t mind. . .

7. Why does the student go to Professor Kirk′s office?

A.

To ask Professor Kirk to be his advisor

B.

To respond to Professor Kirk's invitation

C.

To ask Professor Kirk to sign a form

D.

To find out if he needs to take a certain class to graduate

8. Why is the woman surprised at the man′s request?

A.

A journalism student should not need a biology class.

B.

Professor Kirk no longer teaches Introduction to Biology.

C.

He has not tried to sign up for Introduction to Biology at the registrar's office.

D.

He has waited until his senior year to take Introduction to Biology.

9. What does the man say about his advisor?

A.

She thinks very highly of Professor Kirk.

B.

She encouraged the man to major in journalism.

C.

She encouraged the man to take a science class.

D.

She is not aware of the man's problem.

10. How will the man probably try to communicate his problem to Professor Kirk?

A.

By calling her

B.

By leaving her a note

C.

By sending an e-mail to her

D.

By visiting her during office hours

11. Listen again to part of the conversation. Why does the man say this to the woman?

A.

To politely refuse the woman's suggestion

B.

To thank the woman for solving his problem

C.

To explain why he needs the woman's help

D.

To show that he understands that the woman is busy

Script:

Listen to part of a conversation between two students.

M: Oh. Hi! It’s good to see you. What’s happening?

W: I′m busy with my classes. The quarter’s going by really quickly. How′ about you? What have you been up to?

M: Busy with school and work. Hey. What are you taking spring quarter?

W: Literature, sociology ... botany, and ... uh ... I’m hoping to do something in the arts, maybe some sort of work experience or internship.

M: No kidding! I didn’t know - you were artistic. What do you have in mind?

W: Well, there′s this theater group I just found out about in Chester. I went to a couple of their plays. They’re an interesting company. They perform a lot of new works, and they also do older plays that aren’t very well known, and ... well ... I’m really impressed and would love to work with them in some way.

M: No kidding! I didn’t know you were into theater. Do you act?

W: Not really ... I took drama in high school, but I was awful on stage. No ... it’s not acting that interests me as much as ... all the other stuff.

M: Like what? Directing? Lighting ?

W: All of it. Actually, This theater I told you about — they have the best sets! I’d like to build sets. Or make costumes, find props — I don’t know, even work in the office. It’s the whole atmosphere of theater that I find exciting.

M: It sounds like you need to be a theater intern.

W: But. as far as that goes ... my problem is I don’t know anything about setting it up.

M: What, the internship?

W: Yeah.

M: Do you know anyone who works there?

W: No. I only found out about it cause I went to a couple of plays.

M: Better go see your adviser about this. Doesn’t the advising department post a list of internships that are available?

W: Yeah, there’s a list. I already checked it, and there was nothing in theater. But I’ll talk to Sherry, of course. She’s my adviser.

M: You know′ what you could do? When I had to do an observation last year for my psychology class—we had to observe a work group for two weeks—what I did—how I got started was, I picked out a couple of law firms and then just sent formal letters of introduction. I told them I was a student, and had to do a report for one of my classes, and asked if 1 could meet with them to arrange an observation in their workplace.

W: Oh ... really? And what happened?

M: I said I’d call them, and the first firm I called said I could do it there.

W: Wow! You make it sound so easy. I wonder if that’d work with the theater.

M: It’s worth a try, isn’t it?

W: It’s worth a try. Hey, I’m glad I ran into you!

12. What are the students mainly discussing?

A.

The theater program at their school

B.

The man's experience in a law firm.

C.

The classes that they are taking

D.

The woman's interest in an internship

13. What does the woman like about theater?

A.

The opportunity to improve her acting

B.

The entire atmosphere of theater

C.

The chance to meet interesting people

D.

The efficiency of theater management.

14. What is the woman′s opinion of her own acting ability?

A.

She is excited about learning new acting skills.

B.

She thinks she is better at acting than directing.

C.

She thinks she needs more acting experience.

D.

She thinks she is not very skilled at acting.

15. Why does the man say this?

A.

To state what he likes about the theater

B.

To compliment the woman on her abilities.

C.

To learn more about the woman's interests

D.

To imply that the woman should be a director

16. What does the man suggest the woman do? Click on TWO answers.

A.

To learn more about the woman's interests

B.

To state what he likes about the theater

C.

To imply that the woman should be a director

D.

To compliment the woman on her abilities.

Script:

Listen to a conversation between a student and her advisor.

Advisor: Hi. Sorry I’m running a bit late. Are you ready to talk now?

Student: Yes, I am.

Advisor: And do you have your schedule planner with you?

Student: Yes, I do.

Advisor: And have you looked over the schedule of classes and thought about what courses you’d like to take then?

Student: Uh, yes to that, too.

Advisor: OK, let’s see what courses you have on your list... uh ... I see. . . . Let’s talk about what you have here. I see that you’d like to take the American literature class on nineteenth-century novels. . . . That looks just fine. . . . You’ve already taken the prerequisite English courses for this one, haven’t you?

Student: Yes, I have. I’ve taken both the prerequisites for the nineteenth-century novels course.

Advisor: OK. And you’d like to sign up for both world geography and sociology? . . . That′s good. They both satisfy general education requirements, so they’re good classes to take.

Student: Yes, those’re some of my last required courses.

Advisor: Hmm. And music. You’ve listed a music course.

Student: Yes. I’m in the school choir, so I take the choir course every semester.

Advisor: That sounds fine, too. . . . Now, what′s the last course you’ve listed? Canoeing? . . . You want to take a canoeing course? . . . Wait a minute . . . what about chemistry? . . . You′re taking Chemistry 101 this semester?

Student: Yes, I’m taking it, but . . .

Advisor: You do know that you need to take Chemistry 102, also? Chemistry 101 isn′t enough; it’s part of a two-semester series. Chemistry 101 and 102 go together.

Student: I know that, but I just don’t want to take Chemistry 102 next semester.

Advisor: Why not?

Student: Chemistry 101 isn’t exactly a lot of fun. I′m working really hard in that course, but I’m not doing very well.

Advisor: OK. So maybe you should get a tutor. You do need to take the second semester of chemistry.

Student: I know I need to take another semester of chemistry, but I’d like to take some time off from it before I try the second semester. Advisor: By taking canoeing instead?

Student: Exactly. I thought it would be a good break from chemistry.

Advisor: It certainly is. . . . Well, as long as you know that you need to take the second semester of chemistry and if you take only one semester off from it, then I guess it’ll be OK.

Student: Thank you.

17. Why is the student in the advisor′s office?

A.

To review the courses she has taken

B.

To learn about some general education requirements

C.

To talk about a problem in her chemistry course

D.

To discuss her schedule for the coming semester

18. Listen again to part of the passage. Then answer the question. Why does the advisor start the conversation this way?

A.

To indicate that the student is late for an appointment

B.

To apologize for starting the meeting late

C.

To explain what he has just been doing

D.

To clarify what time of day it is

19. How does the student seem to feel about chemistry?

A.

It is quite fun.

B.

It is too easy.

C.

It is not much work.

D.

It is quite challenging.

20. What does the student want to do?

A.

Change her major to athletics

B.

Take a break from chemistry for a while

C.

Skip the second part of chemistry permanently

D.

Enroll in an additional chemistry class immediately

21. How does the advisor seem to feel about the student′s decision?

A.

It needs to be reconsidered.

B.

It is just what he would recommend.

C.

It seems reasonable.

D.

It is unacceptable.

Script:

Listen to part of a lecture in a world history class.

For thousands of years, early peoples found their food in nature. They hunted and fished, and ate plants and fruits that grew wild. What led these people to invent agriculture, a completely different way of life?

We know that ancient people changed from hunters and gatherers to farmers when they began to domesticate wild plants and animals. The first farmers on each continent did not have other farmers to observe, so they could not have chosen farming consciously. However, once agriculture had started in one part of a continent, neighboring people could see the result and make the conscious decision to farm.

We have no written records about prehistoric agriculture in the Americas, and very few artifacts or physical clues. We do have evidence that early people used sharp sticks to dig furrows for planting seeds. Those sticks were probably the first agricultural tools. We think the first Americans began to grow crops around ten thousand years ago. The evidence comes from a cave in Mexico, where cultivated squash seeds have been found. These seeds are evidence of the early domestication of plants.

Hunting-gathering people selected wild plants for domestication for various reasons. Some plants had tasty fruit, some had fleshy or seedless fruit, and some had fruit with oily or tasty seeds. In a certain part of prehistoric Mexico, there was a kind of squash that grew in abundance on hillsides. The flesh of this squash was bitter, so the people didn′t cat it, but the seeds were tasty and nourishing, and the people liked to gather them. The people brought the squash seeds back to their camp. As they ate the seeds, some seeds fell to the ground all around the camp. Later, some of these seeds germinated and produced new plants. Thus, the hunter-gatherers became farmers sort of by accident. It was probably not a conscious decision to plant squash in their camp, yet that was the result.

Now the people had a wild garden of squash plants at their campsite. This was fortunate, so they started to take more of an interest in the plants. They tried to protect the plants in practical ways. They cut back and cleared out the less healthy-looking plants. They pulled up other types of plants that were weeds. They gave the plants water during long dry spells. Eventually, the people realized that seeds grew better when they were planted in earth that was turned over. So they began to scratch the earth with a digging stick and to plant seeds systematically in rows. They realized that a tilled, watered, weeded garden provided larger, better, more numerous squash plants than those that grew naturally on a dry hillside. Thus, with a series of conscious decisions, the people started cultivating a new breed of squash plants. Because of their success with squash, they started to experiment with other kinds of plants. In time, they built a fence around the garden to protect it from animals. At this point, agriculture was firmly established in their culture.

Of course, all of this didn’t happen overnight. The process probably took thousands of years. Different peoples acquired agriculture at different times in prehistory. In some areas, crops and agricultural technology spread as ancient peoples conquered and traded with one another. In other places, agricultural technology developed in isolation. Even so, it’s very likely that the change from a hunting gathering society to an agricultural society followed a similar pattern in different regions of the world.

22. What is the main purpose of the lecture?

A.

To describe how hunter-gatherers found food

B.

To explain how early people started farming

C.

To instruct in the cultivation of wild squash

D.

To compare agriculture around the world

23. What is probably true about the origins of agriculture?

A.

The process of gathering wild food led naturally to farming.

B.

Agriculture and written language developed at the same time.

C.

The cultivation of vegetables occurred before that of grains.

D.

People around the world tried similar experiments with squash.

24. The professor explains how the early people of Mexico probably started farming. Summarize the process by putting the events in order.

A.

(i) New plants grew from the fallen seeds. (ii) The people began to protect the plants. (iii) The people brought seeds to their camp. (iv) Seeds fell to the ground as the people ate.

B.

(i) The people began to protect the plants. (ii) The people brought seeds to their camp. (iii) New plants grew from the fallen seeds. (iv) Seeds fell to the ground as the people ate.

C.

(i) The people brought seeds to their camp. (ii) Seeds fell to the ground as the people ate. (iii) New plants grew from the fallen seeds. (iv) The people began to protect the plants.

25. Why did the people begin to use digging sticks?

A.

They noticed that seeds grew better in turned-over soil.

B.

They dug trenches around the garden to keep out animals.

C.

They found that water would fill the holes they made.

D.

They discovered that food could be stored underground.

26. Listen again to part of the lecture. Then answer the question. Why does the professor say this?

A.

To point out that agriculture developed over a very long time.

B.

To emphasize the amount of effort it took to protect the plants.

C.

To show that people could not work in their gardens at night.

D.

To explain why squash was a particularly successful crop.

27. What point does the professor make about the transition from hunting-gathering to agriculture?

A.

The rapid move to agriculture led to environmental devastation.

B.

The transition to agriculture eliminated the need for hunting.

C.

Agriculture developed everywhere in the world at the same time.

D.

The process probably followed a similar pattern around the world.

Script:

Listen to part of a lecture in a film studies class.

In the first two decades of the twentieth century, cinema established itself as a powerful mass medium. Movies were a popular entertainment for working people, but they were more than just entertainment. Movies were also regarded as high art by the intellectuals of the day. Many people believed that cinema—or film—would be the defining art form of the new century.

Even in its earliest years, film was developing its own style—a style that was distinct from that of the theater. But what do we mean when we speak of film style? To put it simply, style is the texture of a film’s images and sounds. It’s the filmmaker’s systematic use of the techniques of the medium—for example, staging, lighting, performance, camera framing and focus. Editing and sound also contribute to style.

A few filmmakers of the silent era were already developing film style, most notably in the editing technique of cutting. Cutting is when the action is broken up into separate shots, or pieces of film, and then the shots are recombined to tell the story in a coherent way. Before cutting, the action in films was like it was in the theater. The action took place far away from us. and it was continuous—it wasn’t interrupted by any closer views of the actors.

Early film critics didn’t like films that looked too much like theater. Theater was a well recognized art form with its own traditions and methods. However, film was something new. and well, it was an art form that owed its birth to the technology of the moving picture camera. The critics preferred to see stylistic camera work and editing—the techniques that set film apart from theater. A lot of critics felt that editing was the most important film technique. Cutting -the change from shot to shot - was regarded as the key to film artistry.

Another film technique—called cross-cutting—made it possible to tell two stories at the same time. Cross-cutting—it’s also called parallel action—it involves showing segments from two different sequences, moving back and forth from one to the other so the two stories appear to be taking place at the same time. Cross- cutting was used in the 1903 film The Great Train Robbery. The film shows bandits escaping from the scene of their crime, and then it cross cuts to a scene where the townspeople are dancing at a party, unaware the robbery has taken place. The audience easily understands that the two scenes are going on at the same time.

The person who usually receives the credit for inventing most film techniques is D.W′ Griffith. While Griffith didn′t invent everything about film actually he defined and redefined the innovations of other filmmakers—he created movies that critics and audiences recognized as a unique narrative form. This is because he perfected the elements of film “grammar” and the art of the story film.

Instead of having one camera shoot a scene from one position. D.W. Griffith filmed each scene from many angles, and then he pieced together the sequences in the editing room. He used editing to heighten and control the dramatic impact of a scene. He introduced analytical editing, that is breaking down a scene into shots that show closer views of people′s faces or gestures. These closely framed shots are known as close ups. The close up conveys a character’s emotions through subtle changes in the eyes, mouth, and brow. After D.W. Griffith, the close-up became a standard tool in the language of film.

28. What is the lecture mainly about?

A.

Media of the twentieth century

B.

The development of film style

C.

The film techniques of D.W. Griffith

D.

How film criticism influenced art

29. Which of the following contribute to the style of a film? Click on TWO answers.

A.

Theater design

B.

Camera framing

C.

Film cutting

D.

Acting awards

30. According to the professor, why did early film critics dislike films that resembled theater?

A.

They thought that film was a distinct art form.

B.

They did not understand the traditions of theater.

C.

They felt that films should not be shown in theaters.

D.

They disagreed with the politics of theater owners.

31. Why does the professor discuss cross-cutting?

A.

To convince students that film should be regarded as high art

B.

To describe a technique that confused early film audiences

C.

To explain why film critics disliked certain types of films

D.

To give an example of an early advancement in film style

32. Listen again to part of the lecture. Then answer the question. What does the professor mean when he says this?

A.

Critics liked Griffith's films, but audiences did not understand them.

B.

D.W. Griffith improved film techniques, making film a literary art.

C.

The actors in Griffith's films always spoke with perfect grammar.

D.

D.W. Griffith invented most of the film techniques we use today.

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