大学英语6级考试听力直通249分 MODEL TEST5

　　[00:11.73]Model Test 5

　　[00:14.26]Section A

　　[00:16.32]Directions:

　　[00:17.97]In this section,

　　[00:19.62]you will hear 8 short conversations

　　[00:22.18]and 2 long conversations.

　　[00:24.57]At the end of each conversation,

　　[00:27.10]one or more questions will be asked

　　[00:29.60]about what was said.

　　[00:31.35]Both the conversation and the questions

　　[00:34.01]will be spoken only once.

　　[00:36.39]After each question there will be a pause.

　　[00:40.07]During the pause,

　　[00:41.62]you must read the four choices marked

　　[00:44.30]A), B), C) and D),

　　[00:47.75]and decide which is the best answer.

　　[00:50.64]Then mark the corresponding letter

　　[00:53.53]on Answer Sheet 2

　　[00:55.53]with a single line through the center.

　　[00:58.65]Now let's begin with the 8 short conversations.

　　[01:03.93]11.M: Thank you for your helpful assistance.

　　[01:10.27]Otherwise, I'd surely have missed it.

　　[01:13.16]The place is so out of the way.

　　[01:16.09]W: It was a pleasure meeting you. Goodbye!

　　[01:18.76]Q: Why does the man thank the woman?

　　[01:37.39]12. M: Excuse me,

　　[01:40.60]I heard that there were a couple of

　　[01:42.33]jobs available in the library.

　　[01:44.82]So I'd like to apply for one of them.

　　[01:47.90]Can I fill out the application form at home

　　[01:51.29]and bring it back next week?

　　[01:53.50]W: Sure, but you should know that

　　[01:55.41]we're about to start looking at the applications,

　　[01:58.13]and we hope to make some job

　　[01:59.82]offers in a few days.

　　[02:01.77]Q: What does the woman imply?

　　[02:19.19]13. M: That's a great dress, Cindy.

　　[02:23.82]I don't think I've ever seen you wear it before.

　　[02:27.33]W: Oh, I have.

　　[02:28.88]It's just that it's sent back to my closet.

　　[02:31.64]My sister gave it to me like ages ago

　　[02:34.15]and I totally forgot about it.

　　[02:36.14]Q: What does the woman imply?

　　[02:53.56]14.W: Well, did you manage to get information

　　[02:59.77]from Professor Baker?

　　[03:01.50]When are our results coming in?

　　[03:03.56]M: Well she was a bit tight-lipped about it.

　　[03:06.30]Q: What can be inferred about Professor Baker?

　　[03:24.93]15. W: I hate the way the trains run in this city.

　　[03:31.84]I've been waiting here for almost half an hour.

　　[03:35.35]M: It's almost eight o'clock,

　　[03:37.16]so we should be on our way soon.

　　[03:39.49]Q: When does the woman begin waiting for the train?

　　[03:58.15]16. M: I sent the package over 10 days ago

　　[04:05.42]and it still hasn't arrived.

　　[04:07.97]W: Maybe you should send the next one by air.

　　[04:10.70]Q: What does the woman suggest?

　　[04:28.17]17. M: I wish I could be the person driving

　　[04:34.53]that new Cadillac instead of Barbara.

　　[04:37.07]W: Well,

　　[04:38.20]if you would budget your money more carefully,

　　[04:41.14]then this wouldn't be a problem.

　　[04:43.74]Q: How does the woman feel about the man?

　　[05:02.18]18. M: I was so disappointed to

　　[05:07.67]hear that Jim lost his job.

　　[05:09.94]I know that his daughter was sick last month,

　　[05:12.88]so he was always

　　[05:14.10]late to work.

　　[05:15.58]W: Oh, that wasn’t it.

　　[05:16.94]Jim made a big error in this week's accounting.

　　[05:20.12]The boss was furious.

　　[05:22.45]Q: Why was Jim fired?

　　[05:40.37]Now you will hear the two long conversations.

　　[05:45.36]Conversation One

　　[05:48.73]M: Let's look at your problem:

　　[05:50.93]you always fail the job interviews.

　　[05:53.74]W: It seems so, unfair. And the thing is

　　[05:57.57]that I always find those questions hard to answer.

　　[06:00.77]for example, they always ask

　　[06:02.49]me what I think is important in a job.

　　[06:05.54]M: In this case,

　　[06:06.82]you should mention specific rewards

　　[06:09.09]other than paycheck, for example,

　　[06:11.94]challenge and the feeling of

　　[06:14.23]accomplishment.

　　[06:15.54]W: That sounds good.

　　[06:16.79]And they often ask what makes me decide to

　　[06:19.60]join their company, especially when they are

　　[06:21.59]rather small and young.

　　[06:23.53]M: You can tell them that you believe

　　[06:25.44]you would have better opportunities

　　[06:27.45]with a small but rapidly expanding

　　[06:30.18]company like theirs.

　　[06:32.13]W: Great. I think the most difficult question is

　　[06:36.09]what my greatest strengths and weaknesses are.

　　[06:39.37]M: They are tough questions.

　　[06:41.91]For your greatest strengths,

　　[06:43.67]give a response like this：

　　[06:45.87]“I can see what needs to be done

　　[06:47.95]and do it.”or“I work well with others.”

　　[06:51.70]W: Terrific.

　　[06:53.65]M: For your weaknesses,

　　[06:54.93]you can identify one or two,

　　[06:57.86]such as “I tend to drive myself too hard”.

　　[07:01.37]The trick is to

　　[07:02.61]describe a weakness so that

　　[07:04.33]it could also be considered a virtue.

　　[07:07.72]W: I see. Sometimes they also ask me

　　[07:11.73]what I don't like about my previous jobs.

　　[07:14.49]M: You can talk about the things you don't like,

　　[07:17.60]but avoid making even

　　[07:19.35]slightest reference to any of your former

　　[07:21.82]employers

　　[07:24.07]W: I'll remember that.

　　[07:25.87]M: Never forget to have

　　[07:27.24]at least one question ready,

　　[07:29.35]because the interviewer usually

　　[07:31.35]asks if you have any questions

　　[07:33.30]about the job or the company

　　[07:35.41]at the end of the interviews.

　　[07:38.12]W: I understand employers like a candidate

　　[07:40.93]who is interested in the organization.

　　[07:43.50]M: Right.

　　[07:44.61]If you can smoothly apply answers

　　[07:46.83]like these during the interview,

　　[07:48.79]you are bound to make a good impression.

　　[07:51.71]Questions 19 to 21 are based on

　　[07:54.51]the conversation you have just heard.

　　[07:57.11]19. What is the woman suggested to mention

　　[08:02.65]when asked what is important

　　[08:04.37]to her in an interview?

　　[08:21.41]20. What is the woman's biggest problem

　　[08:26.41]in an interview?

　　[08:42.62]21. What does the man warn against doing

　　[08:47.19]when it comes to previous experience?

　　[09:04.91]Conversation Two

　　[09:07.56]M: Hi, Grace.

　　[09:09.13]Mind if I eat lunch with you?

　　[09:10.93]W: No. Mr. Evans, not at all.

　　[09:13.31]M: Thanks.

　　[09:14.75]I just heard that you're studying nutrition

　　[09:17.53]and you've got quite a bit of experiences

　　[09:20.02]working in the cafeteria,

　　[09:21.86]so I wonder if you will be interested

　　[09:24.62]in a small project we are doing this term.

　　[09:27.55]W: What's the project all about?

　　[09:29.96]M: More and more students have been deciding

　　[09:33.21]not to buy the meal here

　　[09:35.21]and we want to attract them back.

　　[09:37.78]So I want to hear what students would like.

　　[09:41.46]Your job would be to find out.

　　[09:43.79]W: Well, if the menus were changed,

　　[09:46.87]then maybe I wouldn't have to

　　[09:48.18]listen to so much criticism.

　　[09:50.60]M: That makes you perfect for the job.

　　[09:53.26]Would you be interested?

　　[09:54.94]W: I'm not sure.

　　[09:56.69]What sorts of changes are you thinking of?

　　[09:59.57]M: I'd like to make some changes in the way

　　[10:02.07]we prepare our food.

　　[10:03.77]For example,

　　[10:05.11]just look at what we have to choose

　　[10:07.29]from today. You got a fried hamburger

　　[10:10.42]and I got fried chicken.

　　[10:12.69]They both contain too much fat.

　　[10:15.13]W: But you'd better not get rid of them.

　　[10:17.66]They're everybody's favorite.

　　[10:19.73]M: Well, we can certainly keep them,

　　[10:22.27]but we need to give the people

　　[10:23.96]who are health-conscious some choices.

　　[10:26.64]For example, we could also prepare chicken

　　[10:29.44]without the fatty skin

　　[10:31.35]and serve it on some rice with a light sauce.

　　[10:34.45]Do you think that would appeal to students?

　　[10:37.13]W: Well, I'd like that.

　　[10:39.06]You're right.

　　[10:40.31]You'd better find out what others think.

　　[10:42.55]Sorry, I've got to get back to work.

　　[10:45.13]I'd like to hear more though.

　　[10:47.00]I'll drop by your office later.

　　[10:49.06]M: OK, see you then.

　　[10:51.09]Questions 22 to 25 are based on

　　[10:54.59]the conversation you have just heard.

　　[10:57.12]22. What are the two speakers talking about?

　　[11:19.46]23. What does the man want the woman to do?

　　[11:40.18]24 What does the man suggest the cafeteria do?

　　[12:01.23]25 What is the woman’s attitude

　　[12:06.40]of the man’s project?

　　[12:23.80]Section B

　　[12:25.53]Directions: In this section,

　　[12:28.48]you will hear 3 short passages.

　　[12:31.72]At the end of each passage,

　　[12:33.76]you will hear some questions.

　　[12:36.10]Both the passage

　　[12:37.68]and the questions will be spoken only once.

　　[12:41.81]After you hear a question,

　　[12:43.69]you must choose the best answer from

　　[12:46.68]the four choices

　　[12:47.86]marked A), B), C) and D).

　　[12:51.80]Then mark the corresponding letter

　　[12:54.68]on Answer Sheet 2

　　[12:56.82]with a single line through the center.

　　[13:00.09]Passage One

　　[13:02.15]In recent years,

　　[13:03.46]many Americans of both sexes and various ages

　　[13:07.17]have become increasingly interested

　　[13:09.26]in improving their bodies.

　　[13:11.25]They have become more devoted

　　[13:13.01]to physical fitness.

　　[13:15.14]Many persons have a strong desire

　　[13:17.65]to become more physically fit.

　　[13:19.74]By nature, Americans are enthusiastic,

　　[13:23.35]and energetic about hobbies or pastimes.

　　[13:27.14]And now many of them apply this enthusiasm,

　　[13:30.27]optimism, and energy to running.

　　[13:33.64]As a result,

　　[13:35.02]there are more running clubs to join

　　[13:36.90]and numerous books

　　[13:38.08]and magazines to read about running.

　　[13:40.51]The desire for American people

　　[13:42.21]to be physically fit could probably be explained

　　[13:45.12]by a “passion” for good health.

　　[13:47.47]The high rate of heart attacks

　　[13:49.17]in the 1960s has caused an increase of interest

　　[13:52.74]in improving the health condition of human body.

　　[13:55.76]Middle-aged men especially

　　[13:57.74]suffer from heart attacks.

　　[13:59.61]Thus, they are one group strongly interested

　　[14:02.31]in taking more physical exercise.

　　[14:04.79]In fact, many doctors often

　　[14:07.30]encourage their patients to

　　[14:08.84]become more physically active,

　　[14:10.69]especially those who have inactive jobs.

　　[14:13.89]It is quite interesting to note that

　　[14:16.19]the rate of heart attacks began to decrease

　　[14:18.71]between 1972 and 1974

　　[14:22.29]and it is still decreasing now.

　　[14:24.51]It seems that physical fitness has now

　　[14:27.62]become a new “love” of Americans.

　　[14:30.46]But will it last very long? Nobody knows.

　　[14:34.67]Only time will tell—

　　[14:36.11]or until another “new passion”

　　[14:38.18]comes along and takes its place.

　　[14:40.66]Questions 26 to 29 are based on

　　[14:44.50]the passage you have just heard.

　　[14:47.34]26. Why are Americans

　　[14:50.73]so interested in physical exercise?

　　[15:09.01]27. What happens when American people

　　[15:13.20]apply great enthusiasm in running?

　　[15:31.00]28. Which of the following is NOT true

　　[15:36.56]according to the passage?

　　[15:53.19]29. What kinds of patients are

　　[15:57.86]especially encouraged to

　　[15:59.44]take part in physical exercise?

　　[16:16.65]Passage Two

　　[16:19.66]American visitors to Eastern Asia

　　[16:22.53]are often surprised and puzzled

　　[16:24.94]by how Asian cultures and customs differ from

　　[16:27.63]those in the United States.

　　[16:30.26]What's considered typical

　　[16:32.19]or proper social conduct in one country

　　[16:35.53]may be regard as odd,

　　[16:37.87]improper or even rude in the other.

　　[16:42.02]For example,

　　[16:43.77]people from some Eastern Asian countries

　　[16:46.61]may begin a conversation with a stranger

　　[16:49.29]by asking personal questions about family,

　　[16:52.49]home or work.

　　[16:54.74]Such questions are thought to be friendly,

　　[16:57.64]whereas they might be considered offensive

　　[17:00.49]in the United States.

　　[17:02.46]On the other hand,

　　[17:04.23]people in most Asian cultures

　　[17:06.07]are far more guarded about

　　[17:07.98]expressing their feelings publicly

　　[17:10.32]than most Americans are.

　　[17:12.12]Openly displaying annoyance or anger,

　　[17:15.97]yelling, arguing loudly

　　[17:18.06]and so forth is considered ill-mannered

　　[17:21.02]in countries such as Japan.

　　[17:23.48]Many Eastern Asians prefer

　　[17:25.91]to hold their emotions in check

　　[17:28.13]and instead express themselves

　　[17:30.46]with great politeness.

　　[17:32.58]They try not to be blunt

　　[17:34.45]and avoid making direct criticisms.

　　[17:37.57]In fact,

　　[17:38.74]they often keep their differences of opinion

　　[17:41.42]to themselves and merely smile

　　[17:43.94]and remain silent rather

　　[17:45.69]than engage in a confrontation.

　　[17:48.49]By comparison,

　　[17:49.70]Americans are often frank about

　　[17:51.73]displaying both positive

　　[17:53.71]and negative emotions on the street

　　[17:56.88]and in other public places.

　　[17:59.55]Americans visiting Asia should keep in mind

　　[18:02.88]that such behavior may cause offense.

　　[18:05.72]A major difference between Americans culture

　　[18:08.91]and most Eastern Asian cultures

　　[18:11.57]is that in Eastern Asia,

　　[18:13.36]the community is more important

　　[18:15.51]than the individual.

　　[18:17.88]Most Americans are considered

　　[18:19.72]a success when

　　[18:20.60]they make a name for themselves.

　　[18:23.25]Questions 30 to 32 are based on

　　[18:26.62]the passage you have just heard.

　　[18:28.96]30. How would some Asians

　　[18:33.56]start their conversation

　　[18:35.02]when they meet for the first time?

　　[18:51.97]31. What would a Japanese do

　　[18:56.73]when he feels annoyed?

　　[19:14.07]32. What is encouraged

　　[19:17.13]in American culture according to the passage?

　　[19:35.02]Passage Three

　　[19:37.41]Good morning students,

　　[19:39.12]I hope you have been able

　　[19:40.57]to read the two books about speech

　　[19:42.59]and hearing problems that

　　[19:43.79]I put in the library.

　　[19:45.63]Today’s lecture deals with

　　[19:47.35]the presence of the unusually

　　[19:49.33]large deaf population that existed

　　[19:51.68]on the Massachusetts island of

　　[19:53.64]Martha’s Vineyard for

　　[19:55.09]about three centuries.

　　[19:56.99]From the settlement of the island

　　[19:58.88]in the 1640s to the twentieth century,

　　[20:01.79]the people there,

　　[20:02.97]who were descended from only twenty-five

　　[20:05.20]or thirty original families,

　　[20:07.06]married mainly other residents of the island.

　　[20:10.76]They formed a highly inbred group,

　　[20:13.56]producing an excellent example of

　　[20:15.39]the genetic patterns

　　[20:16.57]for the inheritance of deafness.

　　[20:18.96]In the late eighteen hundreds

　　[20:21.07]one out of every twenty-five people

　　[20:23.39]in one village on the island was born deaf,

　　[20:25.91]and the island as a whole

　　[20:27.48]had a deafness rate at least seventeen times

　　[20:30.57]greater than that of the rest of the United States.

　　[20:33.74]Even Alexander Graham Bell,

　　[20:35.83]the inventor of the telephone

　　[20:37.49]and a prominent investigative researcher

　　[20:40.10]into hearing loss,

　　[20:41.52]visited Martha’s Vineyard to

　　[20:43.01]study the population.

　　[20:44.84]But because the principles of genetics

　　[20:46.86]and inheritance were still unknown,

　　[20:48.82]he was not able to explain the patterns of

　　[20:51.02]deafness and why deaf parents did not

　　[20:53.75]always have deaf children.

　　[20:55.72]In the twentieth century,

　　[20:57.02]the local population has mixed with people

　　[20:59.54]off the island and the rate of deafness has fallen.

　　[21:03.41]Questions 33 to 35 are based on

　　[21:07.03]the passage you have just heard.

　　[21:09.62]33. Where does this talk take place?

　　[21:29.68]34. Why were so many people there deaf?

　　[21:49.25]35. What did Alexander Graham Bell

　　[21:53.47]hope to do when he went to the island?

　　[22:10.92]Section C

　　[22:12.62]Directions:

　　[22:14.01]In this section,

　　[22:15.72]you will hear a passage three times.

　　[22:18.41]When the passage is read for the first time,

　　[22:21.21]you should listen carefully for its general idea.

　　[22:24.58]When the passage is read for the second time,

　　[22:27.44]you are required to fill in the blanks

　　[22:29.96]numbered from 36 to 43

　　[22:32.56]with the exact words you have just heard.

　　[22:35.43]For blanks numbered from 44 to 46

　　[22:39.36]you are required to fill

　　[22:41.08]in the missing information.

　　[22:43.08]For these blanks,

　　[22:44.57]you can either use the exact words

　　[22:46.74]you have just heard

　　[22:47.89]or write down the main points

　　[22:49.89]in your own words.

　　[22:51.68]Finally, when the passage

　　[22:53.75]is read for the third time,

　　[22:55.47]you should check what you have written.

　　[22:58.16]Now listen to the passage.

　　[23:01.41]Sydney Opera House must be

　　[23:03.38]one of the most recognizable images of

　　[23:06.00]the modern world—up there

　　[23:07.96]with the Eiffel Tower

　　[23:09.13]and the Empire State Building—

　　[23:11.43]and one of the most photographed.

　　[23:14.00]Not only is it recognizable,

　　[23:16.49]it has come to represent “Australia”.

　　[23:19.40]Although only having been open since 1973,

　　[23:24.35]it is as representative of Australia

　　[23:27.54]as the pyramids are of Egypt

　　[23:29.72]and the Colosseum of Rome.

　　[23:32.32]The Opera House is situated

　　[23:34.68]on Bennelong Point,

　　[23:36.27]which reaches out into the harbour.

　　[23:37.77]The skyline of the Sydney Harbour Bridge,

　　[23:41.45]the blue water of the harbour

　　[23:43.81]and the Sydney Opera House,

　　[23:45.74]viewed from a ferry or from the air,

　　[23:47.91]is dramatic and unforgettable.

　　[23:51.06]Ironic, perhaps, that this Australian icon

　　[23:54.55]was designed by renowned Danish architect—

　　[23:57.77]Jorn Utzon. In the late 1950s

　　[24:02.09]the NSW Government established an appeal fund

　　[24:06.08]to finance the construction of

　　[24:08.26]the Sydney Opera House,

　　[24:10.26]and conducted a competition for its design.

　　[24:13.89]Utzon's design was chosen.

　　[24:16.55]The irony was that his design was,

　　[24:20.21]arguably, beyond the capabilities of engineering

　　[24:23.90]of the time. Utzon spent a couple of years

　　[24:27.29]reworking the design. It was 1961

　　[24:31.37]before he had solved the problem of how to

　　[24:34.57]build the distinguishing feature—

　　[24:36.15]the “sails” of the roof.

　　[24:38.63]The venture experienced cost blow-outs

　　[24:42.16]and there were occasions

　　[24:43.86]when the NSW Government

　　[24:46.41]was tempted to call a halt.

　　[24:49.16]There were arguments about cost

　　[24:51.96]and the interior design, and the Government

　　[24:55.14]was withholding progress payments.

　　[24:58.02]In 1966 the situation reached crisis point

　　[25:03.20]and Jorn Utzon resigned from the project.

　　[25:06.82]The building was eventually completed

　　[25:09.40]by other's in 1973.

　　[25:13.20]Now the passage will be read again.

　　[25:17.35]Sydney Opera House must be

　　[25:20.36]one of the most recognizable images of

　　[25:23.10]the modern world—up there

　　[25:25.06]with the Eiffel Tower

　　[25:26.25]and the Empire State Building—

　　[25:28.36]and one of the most photographed.

　　[25:30.99]Not only is it recognizable,

　　[25:33.44]it has come to represent “Australia”.

　　[25:36.28]Although only having been open since 1973,

　　[25:41.25]it is as representative of Australia

　　[25:44.52]as the pyramids are of Egypt

　　[25:46.67]and the Colosseum of Rome.

　　[25:49.24]The Opera House is situated

　　[25:51.64]on Bennelong Point,

　　[25:53.16]which reaches out into the harbour.

　　[25:56.03]The skyline of the Sydney Harbour Bridge,

　　[25:58.49]the blue water of the harbour

　　[26:00.88]and the Sydney Opera House,

　　[26:02.68]viewed from a ferry or from the air,

　　[26:04.98]is dramatic and unforgettable.

　　[26:08.08]Ironic, perhaps, that this Australian icon

　　[26:11.50]was designed by renowned Danish architect-

　　[26:14.79]Jorn Utzon. In the late 1950s

　　[26:19.01]the NSW Government established an appeal fund

　　[26:23.23]to finance the construction of

　　[26:25.18]the Sydney Opera House,

　　[26:27.14]and conducted a competition for its design.

　　[26:31.04]Utzon's design was chosen.

　　[26:33.73]The irony was that his design was,

　　[26:37.22]arguably, beyond the capabilities of engineering

　　[26:40.79]of the time.

　　[26:42.64]

　　[27:43.01]Utzon spent a couple of years

　　[27:44.73]reworking the design. It was 1961

　　[27:48.83]before he had solved the problem of how to

　　[27:51.18]build the distinguishing feature—

　　[27:53.47]the “sails” of the roof.

　　[27:56.63]

　　[28:57.07]The venture experienced cost blow-outs

　　[29:00.13]and there were occasions

　　[29:01.83]when the NSW Government

　　[29:04.22]was tempted to call a halt.

　　[29:07.05]There were arguments about cost

　　[29:09.94]and the interior design, and the Government

　　[29:13.06]was withholding progress payments.

　　[29:16.24]

　　[30:16.44]In 1966 the situation reached crisis point

　　[30:21.63]and Jorn Utzon resigned from the project.

　　[30:25.30]The building was eventually completed

　　[30:27.81]by other's in 1973.

　　[30:31.49]Now the passage will be read for the third time.

　　[30:36.36]Sydney Opera House must be

　　[30:38.80]one of the most recognizable images of

　　[30:41.46]the modern world—up there

　　[30:43.40]with the Eiffel Tower

　　[30:44.50]and the Empire State Building—

　　[30:45.46]and one of the most photographed.

　　[30:49.48]Not only is it recognizable,

　　[30:52.08]it has come to represent“Australia”.

　　[30:54.70]Although only having been open since 1973,

　　[30:59.82]it is as representative of Australia

　　[31:03.10]as the pyramids are of Egypt

　　[31:05.16]and the Colosseum of Rome.

　　[31:07.78]The Opera House is situated

　　[31:09.66]on Bennelong Point,

　　[31:11.75]which reaches out into the harbour.

　　[31:14.44]The skyline of the Sydney Harbour Bridge,

　　[31:17.06]the blue water of the harbour

　　[31:19.20]and the Sydney Opera House,

　　[31:21.07]viewed from a ferry or from the air,

　　[31:23.39]is dramatic and unforgettable.

　　[31:26.75]Ironic, perhaps, that this Australian icon

　　[31:29.98]was designed by renowned Danish architect-

　　[31:33.21]Jorn Utzon. In the late 1950s

　　[31:37.46]the NSW Government established an appeal fund

　　[31:41.76]to finance the construction of

　　[31:43.79]the Sydney Opera House,

　　[31:45.69]and conducted a competition for its design.

　　[31:49.36]Utzon's design was chosen.

　　[31:52.15]The irony was that his design was,

　　[31:55.69]arguably, beyond the capabilities of engineering

　　[31:59.38]of the time. Utzon spent a couple of years

　　[32:02.88]reworking the design. It was 1961

　　[32:07.02]before he had solved the problem of how to

　　[32:09.25]build the distinguishing feature—

　　[32:11.72]the “sails” of the roof.

　　[32:14.40]The venture experienced cost blow-outs

　　[32:17.73]and there were occasions

　　[32:19.41]when the NSW Government

　　[32:21.81]was tempted to call a halt.

　　[32:24.53]There were arguments about cost

　　[32:27.47]and the interior design, and the Government

　　[32:30.64]was withholding progress payments.

　　[32:33.57]In 1966 the situation reached crisis point

　　[32:38.40]and Jorn Utzon resigned from the project.

　　[32:42.60]The building was eventually completed

　　[32:44.90]by other's in 1973.

　　[32:49.70]This is the end of listening comprehension.