Passage 2
Questions 6 to 10 are based on the following passage:
When we're learning a foreign language, making sense of what we hear is the first step toward fluency. It sounds obvious, but until recently, we didn't know much about how listening works. New research demonstrates that effective listening involves more than simply hearing the words that float past our ears. Rather, it's an active process of receiving information and making meaning. This kind of engaged listening is a skill that's as critical for learning a range of subjects at school and work as it is for learning to understand a foreign tongue。
(78)Studies of skilled language learners have identified specific listening strategies that lead to superior comprehension. Last year, for example, University of Ottawa researcher Larry Vandergrift published his study of 106 undergraduates who were learning French as a second language. Half of the students were taught in a conventional fashion, listening to and practicing texts spoken aloud. The other half, possessing the same initial (最初的) skill level and taught by the same teacher, were give detailed instruction on how to listen. It turned out that the second group “significantly outperformed”(胜过)the first one on a test of comprehension。
So what are these listening strategies? Skilled learners go into a listening class with a sense of what they want to get of it. (79) They set a goal for their listening, and they generate predictions about what the speaker will say. Before the talking begins they mentally review what they already know about the subject, and form an intention to “listen out for” what’s important or relevant. Once they begin listening, these learners maintain their focus; if their attention wanders, they bring it back to the words being spoken. They don’t allow themselves to be thrown off by confusing or unfamiliar details. Instead, they take note of what they don’t understand and make inferences about what those thing might mean, based on other clues available to them; their previous knowledge of the subject, the context(语境) of the talk, the identity of the speaker, and so on。
6. What is the main idea of this passage?
A. Effective listening means hearing the words that float past our ears。
B. Developing your listening skills is the first step toward developing fluency。
C. Skilled listeners use specific strategies to get the most out of what they hear。
D. Listening is one of the most powerful tools we have to gain information。
7. What does Vandergrift’s research show?
A. Learners who adopt specific listening strategies become better listeners。
B. Learners taught in the traditional way are better at reinforcing what they learn。
C. Learners are more confident if they make fewer mistakes。
D. Learners who listen on a regular basis improve faster。
8. Which of the following statements about Vandergrift’s research is TRUE?
A. The participants were postgraduates learning French as a second language。
B. All the participants were taught using the conventional method, with the focus on listening strategies。
C. The two groups were taught by different teacher。
D. The participants were at the same initial skill level。
9. The expression “thrown off” in the third paragraph is closest in meaning to “_____”。
A. infected B. confused C. ruined D. informed
10. According to the passage, which of the following strategies is NOT used by skilled learners?
A. Review their prior knowledge of the subject。
B. Concentrate on the speaker’s words。
C. Translate into their native language。
D. Predict what the speaker will way。