大学英语六级练习试卷听力 Model Test 03

Section A

Directions:In this section,you will hear 8 short conversations and 2 long conversations.At the 

end of each conversation,one or more questions will be asked about what was said.Both the 

conversation and the questions will be spoken only once.after each question there will be a

pause.During the pause,you must read the four choices marked A), B), C) and D),and 

decide which is the best answer.Then mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 2 with 

a single line through the centre.

11.A.The man had better stop taking the cough medicine.

B.The man will take another medicine instead of this. 

C.The man should have patience to cure his cough.

D.The man should take the medicine for a long time.

12.A.She cannot finish her work.

B.She will data her friend on the evening of 28th April.

C.She wants to avoid the crowd in the Huangshan resort.

D.She will have an important visitor.

13.A.They are boiling a cup of water.

B.They are strring a cup of mud.

C.They are cooking sweet and sour rice.

D.They are writing down the recipe.

14.A.She has half finished filling out the form.

B.She doesn't remember to fill out the form.

C.She is glad that the man might help her.

D.She feels frustrated 1 about filling out the form.

15.A.He went mountain climbing last year.

B.He hasn't traveled around the wolrd yet.

C.He's always wanted to climb that mountain.

D.He definitely does not want to go.

16.A.They had better finish the project as soon as possible.

B.They had better try their luck to finish the project. 

C.They are so lucky to have the project being put off.

D.They had better have a risk to extend the project.

17.A.The woman is examining some old houses.

B.The woman is going to rent the house .

C.The woman is discussing the house condition with her colleagues.

D.The woman tells the man to change the wiring.

18.A.She thinks her pay for the job is too low.

B.She believes she could be promoted as a manager.

C.She thinks her job can't make full use of her ablities.

D.She thinks what she learned is useless.

Questions 19 to 21 are based on the conversation you have just heard.

19.A.Advantages of TV shopping.

B.Their favorite TV channels.

C.Beware 2 of advertising 3 on TV.

D.Popularity 4 of advertised products.

20.A.It designed some powerful slogan to stimulate 5 consumers.

B.It used some scientifit method to creat some false images.

C.It invited a boy to eat the hamburger with hearty 6 content.

D.It asked a family with kids to enjoy their hamburger happily.

21.A.The consumers.

B.the TV station.

C.The company.

D.The audience.

Questions 22 to 25 are based on the conversation you have just heard.

22.A.The pleasure derived 7 from gardening.

B. How to grow an amazing garden.

C.How to choose a good location for a garden.

D.How to succeed in growing many plants in a small garden.

23.A.From her parents

B.Through a gardening magazine.

C.By attending a class.

D.By self-study.

24.A.The soil of the garden should be of high quality.

B.The garden should occupy a large area. 

C.There should be lots of plants in the garden.

D.The position of the garden should be good.

25.A.To save space.

B.To help the plants grow healthily.

C.To make plants yield more fruits.

D.To water the plants easily.

Section B

Directions: In this section,you will hear 3 short passages.At the end of each passage,you will 

hear some questions.Both the passage and the questions will be spoken only once.After you 

hear a question,you must choose the best answer from the four choices marked A), B), C) 

and D).Then mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 2 with a single line through the 

centre.

Passage One

Questions 26 to 28 are based on the passage you have just heard.

26.A.Development of industry.

B.Heathy life.

C.The future of children

D.Clean air.

27.A.Because man has a strong desire for a modern way of life.

B.Because people pay no attention to it.

C.Because people from the coutryside rush into the cities.

D.Because people are not aware of the benefits of our modern society. 

28.A.Man konws where the society is going.

B.People don't welcome the rapid development of our modern society.

C.The speaker is worried about the future of our modern society.

D.Man can do nothing about the problem of pollution.

Passage Two

Questions 29 to 31 are based on the passage you have just heard.

29.A.Railway workers.

B.A robot.

C.A computer.

D.A machine.

30.A.The workers on the underground platforms were replaced by machines.

B.It become the first completely automatic railway in the world.

C.A completely automatic line was added to its network.

D.Computer began controlling the trains on the line.

31.A.TO drive the train after it is started automatically 8.

B.TO start the train and drive it when necessary.

C.To take care of the passengers in the train.

D.To send commanding signals to the command spot.

Passage Three

Questions 32 to 35 are based on the passage you have just heard.

32.A.The engine of their boat stopped working.

B.The were attacked by thunderstorm.

C.They ran out of oil.

D.They ran out of food.

33.A.Wave their hands.

B.Shout and cried.

C.Wave their shirts.

D.Made a fire.

34.A.To search for the missing people.

B.To investigate a fire on one of the islands.

C.To look for the missing woman.

D.To rescue the British soldiers.

35.A.The residents.

B.The passers.

C.The soldiers.

D.The police.

Section C

Directions:In this section,you will hear a passage three times.When the passage is read for

the first time,you should listen carefully for its general idea.When the passage is read for the 

second time,you are required to fill in the blanks numbered from 36 to 43 with the exact 

words you have just heard.For blanks numbered from 44 to 46 you are required to fill in the

missing information.For these blanks, you can either use the exact words you have just 

heard or write down the main points in your own words.Finally, when the passage is read for

the third time,you should check what you have written.

The family in Britain is changing.The once typical British family headed by two parents has

(36)_____ substantial 10 changes during the twentieth century.In particular there has been a 

rise in the number of single-person households,which (37)_____from 18 to 29 percent of

all households between 1971 and 2002.By the year 2020, it is (38)_____that there will be 

more single people than (39)_____ people.Fifty years ago this would have been socially 

(40)_____ in Britain.

In the past, people got married and stayed married.(41)_____was very difficult, 

expensive and took a long time.Today, people’s views on marriage are changing. Many 

(42)_____,mostly in their twenties or thirties,live together without getting married.Only 

about 60% of these couples will (43)_____ get married.

In the past, people married before they had children,but now about 40% of children in 

Britain are born to unmarried parents.In 2000, (44)______________________.Before 

1960 this was very unusual.People are generally getting married at a later age now and 

many women do not want to have children immediately.(45____________________.The 

number of single-parent families is increasing.This is mainly due to more marriages ending in 

divorce,(46)____________________.

参考答案：

Section A

11.C 12.D 13.C 14.D 15.D 16.A 17.B 18.C 

19.C 20.D 21.C

22.B 23.C 24.D 25.A

Section B

Passage One 26.A 27.A 28.C 

Passage Two 29.D 30.C 31.B 

Passage Three 32.A 33.D 34.A 35.D

Section C

36.undergone

37.increased 

38.estimated 

39.married

40.unacceptable

41.Divorce 

42.couples

43.eventually

44.around a quarter of unmarried people between the ages of 16 and 59 were living 

together in Great Britain

45.They prefer to concentrate on their jobs and put off having a baby until their late thirties

46.but some women are also choosing to have children as a single-parent without being 

married

听力材料：

[00:04.04]Model Test Three

[00:12.38]Part Ⅲ Listening Comprehension

[00:16.04]Section A

[00:17.72]Directions:

[00:19.29]In this section,

[00:21.53]you will hear 8 short conversations and 2 long conversations.

[00:26.09]At the end of each conversation,

[00:28.56]one or more questions will be asked about what was said.

[00:32.29]Both the conversation and the questions will be spoken only once.

[00:37.07]After each question there will be a pause.

[00:40.35]During the pause,

[00:42.03]you must read the four choices marked A), B), C) and D),

[00:47.22]and decide which is the best answer.

[00:49.85]Then mark the corresponding letter on Answer

[00:54.00]Sheet 2 with a single line through the centre.

[00:58.23]Now, let’s begin with the eight short conversations.

[01:02.13]11. M: Doctor, this cough medicine doesn’t seem to be helping 11.

[01:08.19]Can you give me a different prescription 12?

[01:10.98]W: Let’s give it another day or two and see how

[01:14.76]you are doing then.

[01:16.98]Q: What does the doctor imply?

[01:33.01]12. M: The first week in May is an official holiday.

[01:38.07]Shall we go climbing Huangshan for our holidays?

[01:41.73]We could leave on the morning of April 28th to avoid the crowd.

[01:46.04]W: I’d rather leave on April 29th.

[01:48.63]My grandpa will drop in on the evening of April 28th.

[01:52.78]Q: Why cannot the woman leave for Huangshan

[01:56.26]on the morning of April 28th?

[02:12.55]13. M: OK…done. What is the next step?

[02:18.40]Oh I remember now that the next step is to add

[02:21.62]a cup of boiling water and stir.

[02:24.00]W: Are you sure we are following the instructions correctly?

[02:27.51]This looks like sad and soaked mud, not sweet and sour rice.

[02:32.10]Q: What are the two speakers doing now?

[02:50.00]14. M: Have you filled out your application forms yet?

[02:54.90]W: Don’t remind me of them!

[02:56.96]They’re so confusing that I’m discouraged before I start!

[03:00.52]Q: What does the woman imply?

[03:17.26]15. W: Would you like to climb the mountains with us this weekend?

[03:22.95]It will be very interesting.

[03:24.87]M: Thanks a lot,

[03:26.43]but that is the last thing I want to do in the world.

[03:30.18]Q: What does the man mean?

[03:47.04]16. W: If Professor Thomas is willing to give us

[03:51.36]a three-day extension to finish the project,

[03:54.67]maybe he’ll give us a few more days.

[03:57.52]M: Let’s not push our luck, Mary. OK?

[04:00.76]Q: What does the man mean?

[04:17.34]17. M: You can see that it’s in very good condition.

[04:22.79]The previous owner was a builder.

[04:25.31]W: It’s quite an old house.

[04:27.06]I’m worried about the electrical wiring.

[04:29.82]Q: What can we learn from the conversation?

[04:47.26]18. M: Suppose the boss offered to increase your pay by 100%

[04:53.98]and to promote you as the sales manager,

[04:57.20]would you still quit and look for another job?

[05:00.04]W: Yes. I am determined 13.

[05:02.01]I would like to find a job to which

[05:04.16]my knowledge can be fully 9 applied 14.

[05:06.77]Q: Why was the woman determined to quit the current job?

[05:25.26]Now you’ll hear two long conversations.

[05:28.20]Conversation One

[05:30.96]M: Mind if I switch channels?

[05:33.49]Those TV commercials are killing 15 me.

[05:35.89]W: How can you say that?

[05:37.96]Watch: “Take Toshiba, take the world.” Fantastic!

[05:42.20]There’s a product you can depend on.

[05:44.65]A powerful product.

[05:46.74]M: If I were you,

[05:48.06]I wouldn’t trust those commercials.

[05:50.52]W: Now, look at this McDonald’s commercial!

[05:53.30]Aren’t those little kids cute?

[05:55.68]Oh, and there’s such a warm family feeling.

[05:59.12]M: Just how an advertising agency wants you to see McDonald’s.

[06:03.43]You’re the target audience.

[06:05.44]When they make TV commercials,

[06:07.40]they use scientific methods to learn what you’ll like and buy.

[06:11.78]W: Are you telling me those darling little children biting into Big

[06:16.12]Macs are part of a scientific project to get me into McDonald’s?

[06:21.44]M: Advertisers don’t bother with facts any more.

[06:25.03]Instead they want the end-user,

[06:27.09]that’s you, to fall in love with their product.

[06:30.56]W: I see. So what you’re saying is, “Watch out,

[06:33.25]or commercials will take over your life.”

[06:36.53]M: Yes, just wake up.

[06:38.66]Many competitors are spending piles of money to increase their market shares,

[06:43.66]but only canceling out each other’s efforts and neither would win.

[06:48.32]What’s more, the extra costs of advertising

[06:51.44]will certainly be passed on to the customers.

[06:54.51]W: But anyway the advertising will produce

[06:57.67]a good image of a product and that leads to consumer brand loyalty 16.

[07:02.39]That’s to say, consumers are loyal to a certain product and keep buying

[07:07.58]it and they’re willing to pay more.

[07:10.23]M: That’s the problem.

[07:11.86]More advertising means higher costs to the consumer.

[07:16.15]So in the end the winner is always the company,

[07:19.48]not the customer.

[07:21.40]Questions 19 to 21 are based on the conversation

[07:26.27]you have just heard.

[07:28.05]19. What are they talking about?

[07:46.51]20. How does McDonald’s advertise its hamburger?

[08:06.42]21. Who would be the beneficiary of advertising in the man’s opinion?

[08:27.11]Conversation Two

[08:29.06]M: Hello and welcome to today’s show,

[08:32.51]Shirley’s Garden.

[08:34.13]Today, we’ll be interviewing Shirley on

[08:36.94]her amazing techniques at growing a garden.

[08:39.61]Thank you for being here, Shirley.

[08:41.82]W: You’re welcome.

[08:43.04]M: Shirley, you truly have an amazing garden.

[08:46.54]Can you tell us how you learned about gardening?

[08:49.38]W: Well, this spring I took a gardening class.

[08:52.01]Then I decided 17 to try some of the things I had learned.

[08:55.76]So I have tried various attempts at gardening and

[08:59.36]with different degrees of success.

[09:01.77]M: From the pictures of your garden,

[09:04.11]I’ve seen all kinds of different vegetables,

[09:07.05]including cucumbers, tomatoes, strawberries, carrots and so on.

[09:12.58]Could you let us know how you put these plants together in your garden?

[09:16.77]W: Well, one of the most important things in gardening is that

[09:20.45]you choose a good location.

[09:22.47]You need at least 6 to 8 hours of direct sunshine.

[09:26.23]Um, you also need to choose a location that has good drainage 18,

[09:30.98]and it should be a convenient location.

[09:34.41]After choosing a good location,

[09:36.95]I just decided what I wanted to plant,

[09:39.61]and based on what the final plant would look like,

[09:42.79]I divided the whole garden into different parts.

[09:46.46]M: Shirley, I’ve noticed some vertical 19 beams in your garden.

[09:51.36]I’m truly amazed by them. Could you explain that to us a little bit?

[09:56.33]W: Well, take cucumbers for instance.

[09:58.96]Cucumbers take a lot of space when you grow them out on the ground,

[10:03.46]but I don’t have that much space.

[10:05.67]So I just grow them up.

[10:07.89]Just grow them vertically 20.

[10:09.80]I just used a metal frame and some strings 21 to allow them to grow up,

[10:14.71]and they will support themselves.

[10:17.02]M: Well, Shirley, this is truly amazing.

[10:20.65]Thank you very much for being with us today.

[10:23.37]W: My pleasure.

[10:25.03]Questions 22 to 25 are based on the conversation you have just heard.

[10:31.70]22. What are the two speakers mainly talking about?

[10:52.38]23. How did Shirley learn about gardening?

[11:11.18]24. Which of the following is important to grow a nice garden?

[11:31.82]25. What is the main purpose of using vertical beams according to Shirley?

[11:53.41]Section B

[11:55.44]Directions:

[11:57.63]In this section,

[11:59.51]you will hear 3 short passages.

[12:02.13]At the end of each passage,

[12:04.23]you will hear some questions.

[12:06.45]Both the passage and the questions will be spoken only once.

[12:11.70]After you hear a question,

[12:14.48]you must choose the best answer from the four choices marked A), B), C) and 

D).

[12:21.46]Then mark the corresponding letter on Answer

[12:24.42]Sheet 2 with a single line through the centre.

[12:28.14]Passage One

[12:29.79]Our environment is being polluted faster than

[12:33.79]nature and man’s present efforts can prevent it.

[12:37.16]Time is bringing us more people,

[12:39.85]and more people will bring us more industry,

[12:42.67]more motor vehicles, larger cities,

[12:45.48]and the growing use of man-made materials.

[12:49.10]What can explain and solve this problem?

[12:52.23]The fact is that pollution is caused by man —

[12:55.76]by his desire for a modern way of life.

[12:59.13]We make “increasing industrialization” our chief aim.

[13:03.70]For its sake,

[13:05.30]we are willing to sacrifice everything:

[13:07.48]clean air, pure water, good food, our health and the future of our children.

[13:14.39]There is a constant flow of people from the country into the city,

[13:18.95]eager for the benefits of modern society.

[13:22.11]But as our technological 22 achievements have grown in the last twenty years,

[13:27.58]pollution has become a serious problem.

[13:30.89]Isn’t it time we stopped to ask ourselves

[13:34.21]where we are going and why?

[13:36.30]It reminds one of the story about the airline pilot

[13:40.24]who told his passengers over

[13:42.42]the loud speaker: “I have some good news and some bad news.

[13:46.73]The good news is that we are making rapid progress at 530 miles per hour.

[13:52.55]The bad news is that we are lost and don’t know where we are going.”

[13:57.36]The sad fact is that this becomes

[13:59.69]a true story when applied to our modern society.

[14:03.53]Questions 26 to 28 are based on the passage you have just heard.

[14:10.53]26. According to the passage, which of the following does the man value most?

[14:31.59]27. Why has pollution become a serious problem?

[14:51.74]28. What does the story about the pilot indicate?

[15:11.64]Passage Two

[15:13.54]The world’s first completely automatic railway has been built under

[15:18.98]the busy streets of London．

[15:20.76]The railway is called the Victoria Line，

[15:23.95]and it is part of the complete London underground railway．

[15:27.61]The new Victoria Line was opened in 1969．

[15:31.83]This new line was very different from the others．

[15:35.36]The stations on the other lines need a lot of workers to sell tickets．

[15:39.83]and to check and to collect them when people leave the trains．

[15:43.43]This is all different on the Victoria Line．

[15:46.43]Here a machine checks and collects the tickets，

[15:49.83]and there are no workers on the platforms．

[15:52.55]On the train，there is only one worker．

[15:55.31]If necessary，this man can drive the train．

[15:58.65]But usually he just starts it；

[16:00.93]and it runs and stops by itself．

[16:03.37]The trains are controlled by electrical signals

[16:06.40]which are sent by the so-called “command spots”．

[16:09.65]The command spots are the same distance apart．

[16:13.28]Each sends a certain signal．

[16:15.69]The train always moves at the speed that the command spots allow．

[16:20.37]If the command spot sends no signals, the train will stop．

[16:25.25]Most of the control work is done by computers．

[16:28.94]The computers also fix the train’s speeds，

[16:32.57]and send the signals to the command spots．

[16:35.82]Other machines make sure that the trains are always a safe distance apart．

[16:40.97]0ne train may stay too long at a station；

[16:44.03]the other trains will then automatically move slower.

[16:47.82]So there is no danger of accidents on the line．

[16:51.35]Questions 29 to 31 are based on the passage you have just heard.

[16:58.64]29. On the Victoria Line，

[17:02.60]who does all the work of checking and collecting tickets?

[17:20.21]30. What happened to the London underground railway?

[17:39.48]31. What is the task of the one worker on the Victoria Line train?

[18:00.40]Passage Three

[18:01.94]The 22nd of November 1970 is a day that three British soldiers and

[18:08.84]an army officer’s wife will remember for a long time.

[18:13.22]On that day the four of them left in their speedboat to go to

[18:17.85]the club in Castle Peak Bay.

[18:20.41]They reached the club without any difficulty.

[18:23.53]But on their return trip in the evening the motor of their boat broke down.

[18:28.47]They could not repair it,

[18:30.33]so they drifted along in the boat.

[18:32.67]Huge waves kept splashing 23 over the sides of the boat.

[18:36.92]At last they landed on a small island.

[18:39.79]One of them described

[18:41.43]it: “it was just a tiny island with long grass and bushes.”

[18:46.40]They had no food or water,

[18:48.99]so two of them walked round the island to see if they could find any.

[18:53.59]“The only thing we saw was a rat,” said a man later.

[18:57.53]Meanwhile the other two persons had made

[19:00.87]a fire with driftwood to attract the attention of any passing boat.

[19:06.06]Two boats sailed past but did not stop although

[19:09.93]the men shouted and waved a burning board at them.

[19:13.59]Back on land the families of the four friends had informed

[19:17.38]the police when they failed to return home by night.

[19:21.35]Steamers were sent to search for them as they huddled 24 before their fire,

[19:25.88]tired and cold.

[19:27.38]At dawn a motorized boat passed by and spotted 25 them.

[19:31.88]They reported to the police,

[19:34.07]who went at once to the island and brought the four persons safely back.

[19:39.48]Questions 32 to 35 are based on the passage you have just heard.

[19:45.38]32. What happened when they made their return trip?

[20:04.54]33. How did they try to attract the attention of the passing boats?

[20:24.49]34. Why did the police send out steamers?

[20:44.99]35. Who rescued the four persons at last?

[21:04.23]Section C

[21:05.67]Directions:

[21:07.98]In this section,

[21:09.20]you will hear a passage three times.

[21:11.92]When the passage is read for the first time,

[21:14.61]you should listen carefully for its general idea.

[21:18.04]When the passage is read for the second time,

[21:21.32]you are required to fill in the blanks numbered from

[21:25.01]36 to 43 with the exact words you have just heard.

[21:29.42]For blanks numbered from 44 to 46 you are required to fill

[21:36.17]in the missing information.

[21:38.33]For these blanks,

[21:40.26]you can either use the exact words you have just heard or write down

[21:44.73]the main points in your own words.

[21:47.23]Finally, when the passage is read for the third time,

[21:51.62]you should check what you have written.

[21:53.89]Now listen to the passage.

[21:56.95]The family in Britain is changing.

[21:59.99]The once typical British family headed by

[22:03.17]two parents has undergone substantial changes

[22:06.96]during the twentieth century.

[22:08.93]In particular there has been a rise

[22:11.27]in the number of single-person households,

[22:13.74]which increased from 18 to 29 percent of

[22:17.21]all households between 1971 and 2002.

[22:22.09]By the year 2020, it is estimated that

[22:25.71]there will be more single people than married people.

[22:29.28]Fifty years ago this would have been socially unacceptable in Britain.

[22:33.84]In the past, people got married and stayed married.

[22:37.75]Divorce was very difficult, expensive and took a long time.

[22:42.19]Today, people’s views on marriage are changing. Many couples,

[22:47.84]mostly in their twenties or thirties,

[22:50.47]live together without getting married.

[22:52.79]Only about 60% of these couples will eventually get married.

[22:56.97]In the past, people married before they had children,

[23:00.53]but now about 40% of children in Britain are born to unmarried parents.

[23:06.13]In 2000, around a quarter of unmarried people between

[23:10.39]the ages of 16 and 59 were living together in Great Britain.

[23:15.29]Before 1960 this was very unusual.

[23:19.20]People are generally getting married at a later age now and

[23:23.06]many women do not want to have children immediately.

[23:26.45]They prefer to concentrate on their jobs and put off having

[23:31.17]a baby until their late thirties.

[23:34.11]The number of single-parent families is increasing.

[23:37.24]This is mainly due to more marriages ending in divorce,

[23:41.46]but some women are also choosing to have children as

[23:45.11]a single parent without being married.

[23:47.77]Now the passage will be read again.

[23:51.93]The family in Britain is changing.

[23:55.09]The once typical British family headed by two parents

[23:59.15]has undergone substantial changes during the twentieth century.

[24:03.87]In particular there has been a rise

[24:06.18]in the number of single-person households,

[24:08.84]which increased from 18 to 29 percent of

[24:12.18]all households between 1971 and 2002.

[24:17.16]By the year 2020, it is estimated that

[24:20.75]there will be more single people than married people.

[24:24.41]Fifty years ago this would have been socially unacceptable in Britain.

[24:28.91]In the past, people got married and stayed married.

[24:32.94]Divorce was very difficult,

[24:35.04]expensive and took a long time.

[24:37.19]Today, people’s views on marriage are changing.

[24:41.10]Many couples, mostly in their twenties or thirties,

[24:45.22]live together without getting married.

[24:47.82]Only about 60% of these couples will eventually get married.

[24:52.10]In the past, people married before they had children,

[24:55.57]but now about 40% of children in Britain are born to unmarried parents.

[25:01.20]In 2000, around a quarter of unmarried people between

[25:05.39]the ages of 16 and 59 were living together in Great Britain.

[26:20.00]Before 1960 this was very unusual.

[26:22.79]People are generally getting married at a later age now and

[26:27.10]many women do not want to have children immediately.

[26:30.38]They prefer to concentrate on their jobs and

[26:34.32]put off having a baby until their late thirties.

[27:47.15]The number of single-parent families is increasing.

[27:50.63]This is mainly due to more marriages ending in divorce,

[27:54.30]but some women are also choosing to have children as

[27:57.96]a single parent without being married.

[29:09.76]Now the passage will be read for the third time.

[29:13.61]The family in Britain is changing.

[29:16.39]The once typical British family headed by

[29:19.30]two parents has undergone substantial changes during

[29:22.95]the twentieth century.

[29:25.20]In particular there has been a rise

[29:27.45]in the number of single-person households,

[29:30.05]which increased from 18 to 29 percent of all

[29:33.58]households between 1971 and 2002.

[29:38.36]By the year 2020, it is estimated that

[29:42.27]there will be more single people than married people.

[29:45.67]Fifty years ago this would have been socially unacceptable in Britain.

[29:50.08]In the past,

[29:51.77]people got married and stayed married.

[29:54.21]Divorce was very difficult,

[29:56.36]expensive and took a long time.

[29:58.52]Today, people’s views on marriage are changing.

[30:02.18]Many couples, mostly in their twenties or thirties,

[30:06.52]live together without getting married.

[30:08.90]Only about 60% of these couples will eventually get married.

[30:13.15]In the past,

[30:14.44]people married before they had children,

[30:16.75]but now about 40% of children in Britain are born to unmarried parents.

[30:22.34]In 2000, around a quarter of unmarried people between

[30:26.34]the ages of 16 and 59 were living together in Great Britain.

[30:31.57]Before 1960 this was very unusual.

[30:35.44]People are generally getting married at a later age now and

[30:39.40]many women do not want to have children immediately.

[30:42.90]They prefer to concentrate on their jobs and

[30:46.68]put off having a baby until their late thirties.

[30:50.27]The number of single-parent families is increasing.

[30:53.68]This is mainly due to more marriages ending in divorce,

[30:57.74]but some women are also choosing to have children as

[31:01.40]a single parent without being married.

[31:04.09]This is the end of listening comprehension.