Passage Three
       So we’ve already talked a bit about the growth of extreme sports like rock-climbing. As psychologists, we need to ask ourselves “Why is this person doing this?”, “Why do people take these risks and put themselves in danger when they don’t have to?”  One common trait among risk-takers is that they enjoy strong feelings or sensations. We call this trait “sensation seeking”. A sensation-seeker is someone who is always looking for new sensations. What else do we know about sensation seekers? Well, as I said, sensation-seekers like strong emotions. You can see this trait in many parts of a person’s life not just in extreme sports. For example, many sensation seekers enjoy hard rock music. They like the loud sound and strong emotions of the songs. Similarly, sensation-seekers enjoy frightening horror movies. They like the feeling of being scared and horrified while watching the movie. This feeling is even stronger for extreme sports where the person faces real danger. Sensation-seekers feel that danger is really exciting. In addition, sensation-seekers like new experiences that force them to push their personal limits. For them, repeating the same things everyday is boring. Many sensation-seekers choose jobs that involve risk, such as starting a new business or being an Emergency Room doctor. These jobs are different everyday, so they never know what will happen. That’s why many sensation-seekers also like extreme sports. When you do rock-climbing, you never know what will happen. The activity is always new and different.

Questions 33 to 35 are based on the passage you’ve just heard.

33. According to the speaker, what is a common trait among risk-takers?
34. What do sensation-seekers find boring?
35. What is the speaker’s profession?

Section C
Compound Dictation
       If you are like most people, you’ve indulged in fake listening many times. You go to history class, sitting in the third row, and look squarely at the instructor as she speaks, but your mind is far away, floating in the clouds of pleasant daydreams. Occasionally, you come back to earth. The instructor writes an important term on the chalkboard and you dutifully copy it in your notebook. Every once in a while the instructor makes a witty remark causing others in the class to laugh; you smile politely, pretending that you’ve heard the remark and found it mildly humorous. You have a vague sense of guilt that you aren’t paying close attention, but you tell yourself that any material you miss can be picked up from a friend’s notes. Besides, the instructor is talking about road construction in ancient Rome and nothing could be more boring. So back you go into your private little world. Only later do you realize you’ve missed important information for a test. Fake listening may be easily exposed, since many speakers are sensitive to facial cues and can tell if you are merely pretending to listen. Your blank expression and far-away look in your eyes are the cues that betray your inattentiveness. Even if you are not exposed, there is another reason to avoid fakery. It’s easy for this behavior to become a habit. For some people, the habit is so deeply-rooted that they automatically start daydreaming when the speaker begins talking on something complex or uninteresting. As a result, they miss lots of valuable information.