6 Listening Comprehension Tests

英语听力综合测试，精心挑选练习材料，是培训听力技能的有效途径。涵盖音素辨别测试，音重和语调测试，语句对话通过视觉材料测试理解能力，理解演讲和讲座。

6 Listening Comprehension Tests

• 6.1 General
  • An effective way of developing the listening skill is through the provision of carefully selected practice material.
  • What’s the difference between spoken language and written language?
    • The spoken language is much more complex than the written language in certain ways because it contains a large number of “redundancy” (repetition, hesitation and grammatical repatterning, etc.)
  • What’s the significance of these features for testing purpose?
    • Firstly, the ability to distinguish between phonemes, however important, does not in itself imply an ability to understand verbal messages.
    • Secondly, impromptu speech is usually easier to understand than carefully prepared written material when the latter is read aloud.
  • What should we do if we need to use written material for aural tests?
    • Make provision for restating important points, rewriting and rephrasing them.
    • The length of the segments in each breath group should be limited during delivery.
    • The pauses at the end of each segment should also be lengthened to compensate for the lack of redundant features.
• 6.2 Phoneme discrimiation tests
  • Type1 The stem consists of a picture
  • Type2 Indicate which sentences are the same and which are different in three sentences
  • Type3 Choose the written word which corresponds to the spoken word.
• 6.3 Tests of stress and intonation
  • Type1 Test the ability to recognise word stress or sentence stress.
  • Type2 Ask the testees to select the appropriate description to indicate whether they have understood the original utterance.
• 6.4 Statements and dialogues
  • What kind of ability does these items test?
    • designed to measure how well students can understand short samples of speech and deal with a variety of signals on the lexical and grammatical levels of phonology.
  • types
    • Type1 Hear a statement and then choose the best option from four written paraphrases
    • Type2 Listen to a short question and select the correct response from a choice of four printed ones.
• 6.5 Testing comprehension through visual materials
  • ①Type1 A picture is used in conjunction with spoken statement. The statement are about the picture but some are correct and others incorrect. ②Type2 Listen to four sentences,then choose the appropriate picture being described. ③Type3 Hear a statement and choose the most appropriate picture from a set of three or four pictures. ④Type4 Use simple diagrams to test comparison, prep. and determiners. ⑤Type5 Any street map can be used or adapted for testing the ability to understand simple instructions. ⑥Type6 Test the listening ability of students of mathematics. ⑦Type7 Add to pieces of visual information according to certain oral instructions they are given. ⑧Type8 Test students' ability to identify and classify information which they have heard. ⑨Type9 Simple paper-folding and drawing can also be used to measure ability to understand instructions.
• 6.6 Understanding talks and lectures
  • They are more appropriate for students at intermediate and advanced levels.
    • Type1 Listen to a short talk and select the correct answer about the talk
    • Type2 Hear a short talk and then read a summary containing blanks.
    • Type3 Hear a short talk or lecture and are required to answer questions on it.
    • Type4 The items can be open-ended questions to test the ability to be aware of important information not given in a talk.