Reading time: 45 seconds
Bus Service Elimination Planned
The university has decided to discontinue its free bus service for students. The reason given for this decision is that few students ride the buses and the buses are expensive to operate. Currently, the buses run from the center of campus past university buildings and through some of the neighborhoods surrounding the campus. The money saved by eliminating the bus service will be used to expand the overcrowded student parking lots.
Narrator
Now listen to two students discussing the article.
Man
I don't like the university's plan.
Woman
Really? I've ridden those buses, and sometimes there were only a few people on the bus. It did seem like kind of a waste.
Man
I see your point. But I think the problem is the route's out-of-date. It only goes through the neigh¬borhoods that've gotten too expensive for students to live in. It's ridiculous that they haven't already changed the route—you know, so it goes where most off-campus students live now. I bet if they did that, they'd get plenty of students riding those buses.
Woman
Well, at least they're adding more parking. It's gotten really tough to find a space.
Man
That's the other part I don't like, actually. Cutting back the bus service and adding parking's just gonna encourage more students to drive on campus. And that'll just add to the noise around campus and create more traffic ... and that'll increase the need for more parking spaces ...
Woman
Yeah, I guess I can see your point. Maybe it would be better if more students used the buses instead of driving.
Man
Right. And the university should make it easier to do that, not harder.
Narrator
The man expresses his opinion of the university's plan to eliminate the bus service. State his opinion and explain the reasons he gives for holding that opinion.
Preparation time: 30 seconds
Response time: 60 seconds
Important Points
The university plans to eliminate the bus service because it is too expensive to run and too few students use it. The man disagrees with the university plan. He believes the reason few students take the bus is that the route goes to neighborhoods where stu¬dents do not live. If the routes were changed, many more students would ride the bus. The man disagrees with the way the university plans to use the money it saves on the bus service. Building more parking lots on campus will encourage more students to drive on campus. This would increase noise and traffic on campus.
Sample Responses
Play track #34 on the CD to hear a high-level response for Question 3.
Rater's Comments
The speaker gives a clear and coherent response that is detailed and accurate. He speaks quickly, but this does not prevent him from being understood. He very clearly states the man's opinion and summarizes the man's reasons for having that opinion. He uses complex grammat¬ical structures and a wide variety of appropriate vocabulary. As a result, his speech seems to flow automatically.
Play track #35 on the CD to hear a mid-level response for Question 3.
Rater's Comments
The speaker's first language moderately influences her pronunciation, intonation, and pacing. This creates some listener effort. She provides content that is relevant to the task, but her limi¬tations in language use hinder her ability to accurately convey relevant details. She fills the entire time with understandable speech. However, she incorrectly repeats throughout the response time that students cannot afford to ride the bus. She also says that few students will drive cars and overcrowd the parking lots. This creates confusion for the listener. The speaker never men¬tions the man's concern about increased noise and traffic on campus.
Question 4
Listening Script
Narrator
Now read the passage about the nature of social interaction(社会的相互影响). You will have 45 seconds to read the passage. Begin reading now.