M: I’ve done the same. But it’s useless. My English hasn’t improved. I don’t think it ever will.
W: You should have confidence in（对…有信心） yourself. You can learn English OK so long as （只要）you persist（坚持）. Believe me.
M: Perhaps, you’re right. Anyway, thanks a lot for the advice. W: You’re welcome. Good luck.
1. Why does the man look sad? B
2. What does the woman think about her English now? D
3. What is one of the ways in which the woman improved her English? A 4. What does the woman suggest to the man? C
5. What does the man think about the woman’s advice? C
Understanding a Passage
Now you will hear a passage followed by five questions. Listen carefully and choose the best answer from the four possible choices.
My daughter, Ellen, is ten years old. She was born with a hearing problem. She has been diagnosed（被诊断） as half-deaf（半聋） as she has poor hearing and a slow response-time （反应慢）to sounds. She came home one spring day to tell me she had competed in（参加比赛） a sports meet, where they had lots of races and other competitive events（有竞争性的项目）. Because of her listening disability, I tried to think of words to encourage her. I didn’t want to let her down（让…失望）. I have heard many famous coaches（教练） do so when the athletes （运动员）are faced with defeat（面对失败）. But before I could speak, she looked up and said, “Daddy, I won two of the races.” I couldn’t believe it. And then Ellen said, “I had an advantage（优势）.” Ah, I knew it. She must have been given a head start（先起步的优势） – some kind of physical（身体的） advantage. But before I could say anything, she said, “Daddy, I didn’t get a head start… My advantage was I had to try harder.”
1. What is Ellen’s problem? B
2. What did Ellen tell her father when she