Lesson 9. Dialogues with Special Verbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

SECTION 1: LISTENING



USED TO

The expression used to has two forms, each with a different meaning:

used to + simple form

means ➔



I once lived in New York

(but now I don’t).



I’m not used to driving on the

left side of the road.



means ➔



I’m not accustomed to driving

on the left side.



I’ve finally gotten used to

my new job.



means ➔



I’ve finally become accustomed

to my new job.



I used to live in New York.

+ gerund (-ing verb)

be/get + used to

+ noun phrase



The dialogues in Part A sometimes take advantage of these two functions of used to.

Sample Items

You will hear:*

F2: What does Hank’s father do for a living?

M1: He’s a salesman now, but he used to be a truck driver.

M2: What does the man say about Hank’s father?

You will read:

What does the man say about Hank’s father?

(A) He once drove trucks.

(B) He sells used trucks.

(C) His truck is still useful.

(D) He’s accustomed to his job.

The correct answer is (A). The man says that Hank’s father used to be a truck driver. In other

words, Hank’s father once drove trucks, but he no longer does so.

You will hear:*

F1: Nancy is working late again today?

M1: Yeah, she must be getting used to it by now.

M2: What does the man say about Nancy?

You will read:

What does the man say about Nancy?

(A) She probably has a more difficult job now.

(B) She once worked later than she does now.

(C) She seldom comes to work late.

(D) She is becoming accustomed to late hours at work.

The correct answer is (D). The second speaker indicates that Nancy has probably adjusted to

working late.



* Note:

M1 = first male voice

F2 = second female voice



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M2 = second male voice



58



M3 = third male voice



F1 = first female voice



LESSON 9: DIALOGUES WITH SPECIAL VERBS



EXERCISE 9

Focus: Listening to dialogues that contain causative verbs or expressions with used to

Directions: Listen to the dialogues and the questions about them. Then decide which of the two

answer choices—(A) or (B)—best answers the question, and mark the appropriate blank.

Now start the listening program.

1. What does the man say?

______

______



8. What does the man mean?

______



(B) Doug and Rose are no longer

good friends.



______



______



(B) He should hire an electrician

to do the job.



(A) She will take a vacation in

August no matter what her

boss says.

(B) She’ll probably be too busy to

go on vacation in August.



(A) He can do the job as well as a

professional.



______



(B) He no longer likes the sofa

and desk.



9. What does the woman mean?



2. What does the woman tell Roger?

______



(A) He moved the poster.



______



(A) Doug is happy to be Rose’s

friend.



10. What did Greg’s teacher do?



3. What does the man say about the radio station?

______



(A) It now plays classical music.



______



______



(B) It doesn’t broadcast anything

but news.



(A) She asked Greg to explain the

point.



______



(B) She explained the point to

Greg.



4. What can be inferred from Lynn’s remark?

______

______



11. What do the speakers say about Carter?



(A) Changing the oil was easy for

her.

(B) The oil didn’t need to be

changed.



______



(A) He isn’t accustomed to his

glasses.



______



(B) He looks quite different

without glasses.



5. What does the man mean?

______



(A) He’s not accustomed to early

classes yet.



______



(B) His classes are difficult, too.



12. What does Nick tell the woman?

______

______



6. What does Peggy mean?

______



(A) She’s finally accustomed to

skating.



______



(B) She doesn’t go skating as

often as she once did.



______



(A) She’s going to take a picture

of the members of her club.



______



(A) He’s going to clean his tie.



______



(B) He once lived in a very

different climate.



13. What does Sally mean?



7. What does Kenny mean?

______



(A) This type of weather is not

new to him.



(B) Someone is going to photograph her club.



(B) He’s going to take his tie to

the cleaners.



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SECTION 1: LISTENING



REVIEW TEST B: DIALOGUES

Directions: Each item in this part consists of a brief dialogue involving two speakers. After each

dialogue, a third voice asks a question. When you have heard each dialogue and question, read the

four answer choices and select the one that best answers the question based on what is directly

stated or on what can be inferred.

Now start the listening program.

1. What are they discussing?

(A)

(B)

(C)

(D)



6. What does the woman ask Mark?



Books

Clothing

Candy

Songs



(A)

(B)

(C)

(D)



2. What does the woman suggest?

(A)

(B)

(C)

(D)



7. What does the woman mean?



Looking for a new apartment

Getting more sleep

Turning up his stereo

Discussing the problem with his

neighbor



(A)

(B)

(C)

(D)



She doesn’t know where his hat is.

It’s not very cold today.

She likes the way the hat looks.

The man ought to wear his hat.



8. What does the second man mean?



3. What does the man tell Sonya about the

seminar?



(A) He doesn’t believe what his friend told

him.

(B) He thinks the team was unprepared, too.

(C) He disagrees with his friend’s idea.

(D) He isn’t ready to go to the game either.



(A) Professor Osborne probably won’t lead

it.

(B) It is not a required course for her.

(C) It is being offered now, not next

semester.

(D) She doesn’t need Professor Osborne’s

permission to take it.



9. What problem is Richard having?

(A)

(B)

(C)

(D)



4. What does Adam imply?

(A) He hasn’t finished working on the

bookshelves.

(B) The tools have been misplaced.

(C) He can’t work with his hands very well.

(D) He didn’t really need the tools to build

the bookshelf.



His shoes hurt his feet.

He was injured in a skiing accident.

His shoes are old and in bad shape.

He walked so far that his legs hurt.



10. What are these people discussing?

(A)

(B)

(C)

(D)



5. What does the man imply?



A television commercial

A history class

The woman’s field of study

Some famous artists



11. What does the woman mean?



(A) He doesn’t like the woman’s suggestion very much.

(B) His sister needs several new roommates.

(C) He didn’t really want the woman to

give him advice.

(D) Grace is the perfect roommate for his

sister.



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What he is writing

Where he is living now

Why he doesn’t want to go

Why he is in a hurry



(A) She was about to suggest the same

thing.

(B) She doesn’t feel like giving a party.

(C) She’s completely surprised by the

man’s suggestion.

(D) She isn’t hungry right now.



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LESSON 9: DIALOGUES WITH SPECIAL VERBS

15. What does the woman want to know?



12. What do the speakers imply about Victor?



(A)

(B)

(C)

(D)



(A) He doesn’t go out as often as he once

did.

(B) He doesn’t always tell the truth.

(C) He isn’t as friendly as he once was.

(D) He hasn’t always been so sociable.

13. What does the man mean?



Where the medical center is located

Which office Dr. Norton is in

What Dr. Norton told the first woman

Why the first woman went to see Dr.

Norton



16. What had the man assumed about Angela?

(A)

(B)

(C)

(D)



(A) The woman may see his painting.

(B) He’d like the woman to visit him.

(C) The woman should draw a picture

herself.

(D) He’s going to take a guess.



She liked chemistry.

She would graduate in May.

She didn’t have to repeat a course.

She hadn’t completed the required

courses.



14. What does the woman tell the man?

(A) The weather will probably improve by

tomorrow.

(B) She doesn’t listen to the news on the

radio anymore.

(C) Tomorrow probably won’t be such a

nice day.

(D) She heard about a big new store on

the radio.



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PART B

Extended Conversations

The second part of the Listening section consists of longer conversations between a man and a woman or

(sometimes) between two men or two women. Each conversation lasts from 30 to 90 seconds. It is

preceded by brief introductory comments. After each of the conversations, there are from three to five

questions. The questions are separated by a 12-second pause. You must decide which one of the four

answer choices is the best answer for the question, then mark that answer on your answer sheet. You’re

not permitted to take notes. There are two longer conversations on the standard form; three or four on the

long form.



THE INTRODUCTORY COMMENTS

These comments tell you which questions the conversation refers to and provides some brief information

about the conversation:

Questions 31 to 34. “Listen to two students talk about their psychology class.”

Questions 31 to 35. “Listen to a conversation about plans for a class trip.”

Questions 35 to 38. “Listen to two friends discussing a performance that they attended.”

Questions 36 to 39. “Listen to a conversation in a student housing office.”

Questions 35 to 39. “Listen to a conversation between two teaching assistants.”

Not only do these introductory comments tell you to get ready to listen, but also they tell you how many

questions in your test book to preview at one time. Moreover, they give you a general idea of what to

expect as you listen.



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PART B: EXTENDED CONVERSATIONS



Sample Items

You will hear:*

M2: Listen to a conversation between two students.

F1: Bill, you’re a physics major, aren’t you?

M1: That’s right.

F1: I need some advice. I want to take an introductory physics class and I have to choose between

two teachers, Professor Hunter and Professor McVey. Do you know much about them?

M1: I’ve taken classes from both of them. To tell you the truth, I don’t really like Hunter’s style of

teaching. He doesn’t seem to care if his students understand or not, and his lectures are pretty

dry.

F1: Well then, what about McVey? I’ve heard his course is difficult.

M1: It’s not easy, but you’ll learn a lot, and he always encourages his students to ask questions and

join in discussions.

M2: What does the woman ask Bill to do?

You will read:

What does the woman ask Bill to do?

(A)

(B)

(C)

(D)



Give her information about two teachers

Help her with a physics assignment

Speak to a professor for her

Lead a discussion



The correct answer is (A). The woman asks Bill for some advice about the two professors who

are teaching basic physics courses.

You will then hear:*

M2: What does Bill imply that the woman should do?

You will read:

What does Bill imply that the woman should do?

(A) Change her major to physics

(B) Discuss her problem with Professor Hunter

(C) Sign up for an easy class

(D) Take Professor McVey’s class

The correct answer is (D). Bill speaks critically of Professor Hunter’s teaching methods but

favorably of Professor McVey’s, so he would probably advise her to take McVey’s course.



* Note:

M1 = first male voice

F2 = second female voice



M2 = second male voice



63



M3 = third male voice



F1 = first female voice



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SECTION 1: LISTENING



CONVERSATIONS

The extended conversations are similar to the Part A dialogues in style, but they are longer. They frequently occur in a campus setting between two students or between a professor and a student.



THE QUESTIONS

The questions may be overview questions or detail questions. The first question after the conversation is

often an overview question. Overview questions require a broad understanding of the entire conversation.

To answer them correctly, you must understand what BOTH speakers say. There are several types of

overview questions:

Type of Overview Question



Sample Question



Topic question



“What are the speakers discussing?”



Questions about settings (time and location)



“Where did this conversation take place?”

“When did this conversation take place?”



Questions about the speakers



“Who are the speakers?”

“What is the probable relationship between the

speakers?”



It’s important to listen carefully to the first few lines of an extended conversation to answer overview

questions, because this part of the talk often sets the scene. It often establishes the time and location of

the conversation, the identity of the speakers, and the main idea of the rest of the conversation.

Detail questions ask about specific points in the conversation. The answer will usually be contained

in what ONE speaker says. Detail questions follow the order of information in the conversation. In other

words, the first of these questions refers to a point made early in the conversation, and the last asks about

a point made near the end of the conversation. Most detail questions are factual questions; the answers are

directly stated in the conversation. Many factual questions begin with these phrases:

According to the conversation, . . .

According to the man, . . .

According to the woman, . . .

A few of the detail questions are inference questions. In other words, the information is not directly given

by the speakers; it can be concluded from the information that IS stated, however.

What can be inferred from the man’s comment about . . . ?

What does the man imply about . . . ?

What will the speakers probably try to do?



THE ANSWER CHOICES

The four choices are all plausible answers for the question. Usually the answer choices are mentioned in

some way in the conversation, but only one, the key, answers that particular question correctly.

Some people prefer to close their eyes or look away while listening to the extended conversations to

concentrate on the voices on the audio. However, it is better if you read the answer choices in the test

book while listening. This technique is difficult, but it has several advantages:

• It allows you to get an overall sense of what the topic of the conversation will be.

• It enables you to anticipate what the questions will be, then concentrate on listening for those

points.

• It permits you to confirm some of the details that you hear by comparing them with the answer

choices in the test book.

In the next section of this book, you will practice previewing answer choices, listening to Part B conversations, and answering both overview and detail questions about the conversations.



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64



PART B: EXTENDED CONVERSATIONS



TACTICS FOR EXTENDED CONVERSATIONS

• Be familiar with the directions, but remember that you cannot turn the page to look over answer

choices while the directions are being read.

• Pay attention to the introductory sentence for each talk. These will tell you which items each talk

refers to and may give you an idea of what the talks will be about.

• Preview the answer choices while the talks are being read and during the pauses between questions. Try to guess what the questions will be.

• Listen for overall concepts:• Who is taking part in the conversation?

• Where and when does the conversation take place?

• What is the main topic of the conversation?

The answers to these questions are often suggested in the first few lines of the talks.

• You are not permitted to take written notes, but try to take “mental notes” on specific details:

facts, figures, dates, places, and so on. You can sometimes check the information you believe you

hear against information you read in the answer choices while you are previewing.

• Answer items right away.

• Always guess.



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LESSON 10

Answering Main Idea/Main Topic

Questions about Extended

Conversations

After each extended conversation in Part B, there are four to five questions. Usually the first and sometimes the last questions are overview questions. To answer these questions, you need an understanding

of the whole lecture or conversation rather than of any specific point.

Overview questions for the Extended Conversations:

• What is the main topic of this conversation?

• What are these people primarily discussing?

• Where does this conversation take place?

• When does this conversation take place?

• What is the relationship between the speakers?

• What is the man’s/woman’s occupation?

• What is one speaker’s attitude toward the other speaker?

Main topic questions must correctly summarize the talk. Incorrect answers for these questions are too

general, too specific, or incorrect according to the conversation.

Although these questions require an overall understanding of the conversations, the first few sentences often “set the scene.” In other words, the opening lines of the talk establish the time, place, and

main topic. Read the opening lines of the extended conversation given below:

M1: (Answering phone) Hello?

F1: Hi, Rod, this is Rita—I’m in your nine o’clock class. I missed class because of a cold, and I was

wondering if I could borrow your notes.

M1: I don’t know if you could read my notes—I have terrible handwriting. But I can tell you what

happened. Professor Phillips went over the material in Chapter 4 about different types of stars

in our galaxy. And, she talked about what the midterm exam is going to be like.

F1: Uh-oh, you better tell me all about the midterm—I really need to do well on it.

From this portion of a conversation, we learn that:

.

.

.

.



.

.

.

.



.

.

.

.



both of the speakers are students

they are probably taking a course in astronomy

the class is about halfway over (because they are taking midterm examinations)

the rest of the talk will probably deal with the material that will be on the examination



Not all conversations begin with so much detail. However, it is important to concentrate on the opening

lines to learn this kind of information.



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LESSON 10: ANSWERING MAIN IDEA/MAIN TOPIC QUESTIONS ABOUT EXTENDED CONVERSATIONS



EXERCISE 10

Focus: Listening to the opening lines of extended conversations and answering overview questions about

the topics, settings, and speakers

Directions: Listen to the conversations and the questions about them.

Now start the listening program.

1. What will the main topic of this conversation probably be?



5. What will the two speakers probably

discuss?



(A) Methods of predicting earthquakes

(B) Ways to improve the man’s presentation

(C) The many new uses of computer

graphics

(D) The role of statistics in geology



(A)

(B)

(C)

(D)



2. What are the main purposes of this

discussion?



6. What are the speakers mainly discussing?

(A) Reading experiments at Duke University

(B) Reasons why scientists don’t believe

ESP is valid

(C) The accomplishments of Professor

Rhine

(D) The failure of recent experiments in

parapsychology



Choose two.

(A)

(B)

(C)

(D)



To

To

To

To



Their plans for the coming school year

Tina’s volunteer position

Tina’s trip to Europe

An archaeology class that they both

took



explain the reason for higher rents

review a reading assignment

contrast two forms of taxation

discuss the need for sales taxes



3. What will the main subject of this conversation probably be?



7. What is this lecture primarily going to

concern?



(A) Professor Quinn’s approach to

teaching

(B) The process of getting a student

identification card

(C) Procedures for checking out reserve

materials

(D) Several recent articles in sociology

journals



(A) The historical record contained in

shipwrecks

(B) The role of the State Historical Society

(C) The history of New England

(D) The leading causes of shipwrecks

8. What will the rest of the lecture probably

concern?



4. What will the rest of this talk mainly be

about?



(A) Problems of the tobacco industry in

the United States

(B) Government regulation of advertisers

(C) Tactics involved in deceptive

advertisements

(D) Self-regulation of the advertising

industry



Choose two.

(A) The disadvantages of being in the

program

(B) The physical rewards of dancing

(C) The importance of the program to the

university

(D) The procedures for arranging a tryout



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LESSON 11

Answering Detail and Inference

Questions about

Extended Conversations

Most of the questions in Part B are detail questions that require an understanding of specific points in the

conversation. A majority of these questions are factual questions, asking what, where, when, why, and

how much. To answer the questions, you need to listen carefully.

Other questions are inference questions. As previously explained, the answers to inference

questions are not directly stated but are suggested by information in the lecture. Many of these questions

begin, “What do the speakers imply about . . .” or “What can be inferred from the conversation about . . .”

Remember that the order of detail questions follows the order of the conversation. In other words,

the first detail question will be about something mentioned early in the conversation, while the last one is

about something mentioned near the end of the conversation.

If anything in the conversation is emphasized, it will probably be asked about. In other words, if

something one speaker says is repeated by the second speaker or if one speaker talks about something in

an emphatic tone of voice, there will probably be a question about that information, as in this section of a

conversation:

M1: My project for my filmmaking class took me six weeks to finish.

F1: Six weeks! I can hardly believe it. Doesn’t the teacher realize you have other classes too?

You can be fairly sure that there will be a question, “How long did the man’s project take to complete?”



EXERCISE 11

Focus: Answering detail and inference questions based on specific points in short portions of extended

conversations

Directions: You will hear three extended conversations, each one divided into several short

portions. After each portion, there will be several questions based on that part of the talk.

Now start the listening program.

2. How did Steve feel about the grade he

received?



1. Why is Steve tired?

(A)

(B)

(C)

(D)



He stayed up most of the night.

He had to take a test last night.

He’s been studying all morning.

He’s been too nervous to sleep well

lately.



(A)

(B)

(C)

(D)



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It

It

It

It



was

was

was

was



an improvement.

disappointing.

unfair.

a surprise.