New Oriental IELTS (International English Language Testing System) Exam Designated Teaching Material. Intensive Training: IELTS Listening Drill

Author: Peng Xin-song, (English) Stuart Perkins
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-09-01
Features: Peng Peng started learning English since primary school, which was not common in the countryside. I remember when I first entered middle school, our family bought a very small TV, which was also rare in the countryside. Whenever foreigners appeared on the screen or there was an English soundtrack, my parents would look at me with hopeful eyes, asking how much I could understand. After graduating from graduate school, I applied for a job at Chengdu Television Station's Sports Channel, working as a sports news reporter. At first, when I heard CNN's sports news, I was basically clueless, only able to understand some of the visuals. So I recorded the news and listened to it repeatedly before I could produce sports news. After two years, I came to China Central Television (CCTV). I found the job much easier because, when translating news, I had English drafts from AP (Associated Press) and Reuters, making it much easier to translate by referring to the scripts. Whenever there wasn’t enough time for the news segment, the editor-in-chief would give me recorded segments that only had audio without scripts. Then, I would quickly and accurately translate the news based on the (on-site sounds) I heard. When I go home now, my parents no longer ask me whether I can understand the background sounds. To improve your English listening skills, you must persevere. This is like the classic comeback in the 2005 UEFA Champions League we saw. In the first half, Milan led 3:0, but Liverpool persevered, scoring three goals in the second half to tie the score. In the end, Dudek performed heroically in the penalty shootout, saving two penalties, allowing the Reds to reclaim the Champions League trophy after 21 years.
It took two years to compile these ten sets of IELTS listening simulation tests. Each set of tests references a large amount of IELTS exam information as well as simulation tests compiled by Cambridge IELTS and the Australian Education Development Agency. The difficulty is slightly higher than that of the actual tests. At this time, I sincerely wish all IELTS candidates success in passing the exam and achieving their life goals and pursuits.
As this book goes to press, I would like to express my special gratitude to the British expert Stuart Perkins for his hard work on this book, as well as to the leadership and colleagues of New Oriental for their support and suggestions. I also extend my thanks to the diligent and meticulous editors of New Oriental’s Dayu division for their efforts to make this book a top-quality IELTS listening guide. Thank you.