LIZZIE: So how are you getting on with your teaching practice at the High School, Joe?
JOE: Well I’ve been put in charge of the school marching band, and it’s quite a responsibility. I’d like to talk it over with you.
LIZZIE: Go ahead. You’d better start by giving me a bit of background.
JOE: OK. Well the band has students in it from all years, so they’re aged 11 to 18, and there are about 【Q21】 50 of them altogether. It’s quite a popular activity within the school. I’ve never worked with a band of more than 20 before, and this is very different.
LIZZIE: I can imagine.
JOE: They aren’t really good enough to enter national band competitions, but they’re in a 【Q22】 regional one later in the term. Even if they don’t win, and I don’t expect them to, hopefully it’ll be an incentive for them to try and improve.
LIZZIE: Yes, hopefully.
JOE: Well, now the town council’s organising a 【Q23】 carnival in the summer, and the band has been asked to perform. If you ask me, they aren’t really up to it yet, and I need to get them functioning better as a band, and in a very short time.
LIZZIE: Have you been doing anything with them? Apart from practising the music, I mean.
JOE: I played a recording I came across, of a 【Q24】 drummer talking about how playing in a band had changed his life. I think it was an after-dinner speech. I thought it was pretty inspiring, because being in the band had stopped him from getting involved in crime. The students seemed to find it interesting, too.
LIZZIE: That’s good.
JOE: I’m planning to show them that old 【Q25】 film from the 1940s ‘Strike Up the Band’, and talk about it with the students. What do you think?
LIZZIE: Good idea. As it’s about a school band, it might make the students realise how much they can achieve if they work together.
JOE: That’s what I’ve got in mind. I’m hoping I can take some of the band to a 【Q26】 parade that’s going to take place next month. A couple of marching bands will be performing, and the atmosphere should be quite exciting. It depends on whether I can persuade the school to hire a coach or two to take us there.
LIZZIE: Mmm. They sound like good ideas to me.
JOE: Thanks.
JOE: Can I tell you about a few people in the band who I’m finding it quite difficult to cope with? I’m sure you’ll have some ideas about what I can do.
LIZZIE: Go ahead.
JOE: There’s a flautist who says she loves playing in the band. We rehearse twice a week after school, but 【Q27】 she’s hardly ever there. Then she looks for me the next day and gives me a very plausible reason – she says she had to help her mother, or she’s been ill, but to be honest, I don’t believe her.
LIZZIE: Oh dear! Any more students with difficulties?
JOE: Plenty! There’s a trumpeter who thinks she’s the best musician in the band, though she certainly isn’t. 【Q28】 She’s always saying what she thinks other people should do, which makes my job pretty difficult.
LIZZIE: She sounds a bit of a nightmare!
JOE: You can say that again. One of the trombonists has got an impressive sense of rhythm, and could be an excellent musician – except that 【Q29】 he has breathing difficulties, and he doesn’t really have enough breath for the trombone. He’d be much better of playing percussion, for instance, but he refuses to give up. So he ends up only playing half the notes.
LIZZIE: I suppose you have to admire his determination.
JOE: Maybe. One of the percussionists isn’t too bad, but 【Q30】 he never seems to interact with other people, and he always rushes off as soon as the rehearsal ends. I don’t know if there are family reasons, or what. But it isn’t good in a band, where people really need to feel they’re part of a group.
LIZZIE: Hmm.
JOE: There are others too, but at least that gives you an idea of what I’m up against. Do you have any thoughts about what I can do, Lizzie?
Complete the notes below.
Write ONE WORD AND/OR A NUMBER for each answer.
听前预测：定位词 students；提示词 consists。根据题干可推测出此处应填学生的人数，即数字。
题目解析：定位词 students 重现后能听到两个数字，前者为乐队成员的年龄，后者则是人数。题干中的 around 在文中被替换成 about，该词也可帮助定位。最后还听到表达人数的 more than 20，但 more than 和 around 的含义不符，所以不能作为答案填写，因此答案为 50。
听前预测：定位词 band competition；提示词 play、in；词性：形容词或名词。根 据band competition 可推测此处应填一个修饰乐队比赛的词，可能为形容词或名词。
题目解析：首先听到含有定位词的信息 national band competitions，但该句为否定句“They aren’t really good enough to enter…”，即全国性的比赛是不能参加的，所以 national 并非正确答案；在转折连词 but 之后听到“they’re in a regional one later in the term”，其中 regional 符合所推词性，one 指代 band competition，later 表示发生的时间是在将来，与题干中的 due 相符，因此答案为 regional。
听前预测：定位词 town’s；提示词 play、in；词性：名词。根据题干可知此处要填的是所有格形式后面的名词。
题目解析：上一个话题结束后，实习老师提到“now the town council’s organising a carnival”，此处出现了答案前的限定词 town’s，且句中的 carnival（嘉年华）符合所推词性，可以先做简单的记录；之后又提到“the band has been asked to perform”， 其中 has been asked to 对应题干中的 has been invited to，perform 为 play 的同义词，因此答案为 carnival。
听前预测：定位词 talk；提示词 by、a；词性：名词。根据题干中的限定词 a 可知此处应填可数名词的单数形式，即某个演讲者的身份。
题目解析：由于在预测中推断出此处要填写演讲者的身份，所以在听到“I played a recording”时，就应该集中注意力。接着听到“of a drummer talking about”，其中有一 个以 er 结尾的单词，意为“鼓手”，符合之前的预测，且原句中的 talking about 对应题干中的 talk（只是进行了词性的转换）。因此答案为 drummer，注意双写 m。
听前预测：定位词 will、discuss；提示词 with the band；词性：名词。根据题干中的限定词 a 可知此处应填可数名词的单数形式，即实习老师要和乐队讨论的某个东西。
题目解析：题干中的句子为将来时，与文中“I’m planning to show them…”的时态相符，所以其后的名词 film 可以成为备选答案；接下来的“talk about it with the students”，对应题干中的 discuss…with the band，其中 it 指代的正是前文的 film，因此答案为 film。
听前预测：定位词 will、attend；提示词 next month；词性：名词。根据题干中的 attend a可推测出此处应填一个要出席的活动，且时间限定在 next month（将来）。
题目解析：文中的“I’m hoping…”对应题干中的“Joe hopes…”，其后的“I can take some of the band to a parade that’s going to take place next month”中，符合听前预测的单词只有 parade，且提示词原词重现，因此答案为 parade。此题的难点在于答案词是不常见的单词。