China to Send Two Giant Pandas to Zoo Atlanta in Coming Days, Xi Says

Study the questions and tasks

Work through the material below, or start the interactive practice above to complete an attempt. Try the exercises before opening any answer or transcript sections, then use them to review your work.

Practice level

C1. Try this level if you can follow the instructions and understand most of the language; choose an earlier level if you need more support.

Question formats

Single choice

How to approach this practice

Read the questions, then listen before opening the transcript. Notice names, numbers and any corrections the speaker makes.

1. Question 1 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   According to the report, who made the announcement?

   Return to the passage, recording or visual
   1. Zoo Atlanta’s director
   2. Chinese leader Xi Jinping
   3. A PBS NewsHour correspondent
   4. The United States president
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   Chinese leader Xi Jinping

   The narration attributes the statement directly to China’s leader.

   Two giant pandas from China are expected to arrive at Zoo Atlanta in the coming days, Chinese leader Xi Jinping said Thursday.

2. Question 2 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   What had affected the loan program mentioned in the narration?

   Return to the passage, recording or visual
   1. A shortage of zoo enclosures
   2. Tensions between Beijing and Washington
   3. Uncertainty about the pandas’ names
   4. A change in Atlanta’s location
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   Tensions between Beijing and Washington

   The program had lapsed in the context of tensions between Beijing and Washington.

   PBS NewsHour reported that the announcement could bolster a panda loan program that had previously lapsed amid tensions between Beijing and Washington.

3. Question 3 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   What information do the reports specifically omit?

   Return to the passage, recording or visual
   1. The pandas’ species
   2. The destination zoo
   3. Names, histories, and the precise date
   4. The country sending the pandas
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   Names, histories, and the precise date

   The narration lists names, individual histories, and an exact arrival date.

   They do not provide further details about the pandas’ names, their individual histories, or the precise date on which they will arrive.

4. Question 4 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   What does the narration say about the timing?

   Return to the passage, recording or visual
   1. They will arrive Thursday morning
   2. They are expected within a broadly defined near future
   3. They arrived before Xi spoke
   4. They will arrive after several years
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   They are expected within a broadly defined near future

   The timeframe is deliberately broad rather than tied to a specific date.

   Xi’s statement establishes the timing only in broad terms: the pandas are expected in the coming days.

5. Question 5 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   What role does Zoo Atlanta receive in the exchange?

   Return to the passage, recording or visual
   1. A regulatory role
   2. A prominent role in the exchange’s next stage
   3. A role limited to reporting the news
   4. A role as owner of the pandas
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   A prominent role in the exchange’s next stage

   The zoo is identified as an important participant in the exchange’s next phase.

   The announcement gives Zoo Atlanta a prominent role in the next stage of this exchange.

6. Question 6 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   What limitation does the narration place on the loan’s diplomatic effect?

   Return to the passage, recording or visual
   1. It cannot involve cultural institutions
   2. It cannot resolve disagreements, though it can create connection
   3. It cannot attract public attention
   4. It cannot continue after tensions decline
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   It cannot resolve disagreements, though it can create connection

   The loan may connect the countries publicly without settling their disagreements.

   A panda loan does not resolve disagreements between Beijing and Washington, but it can create a public and highly visible connection between the two countries.

7. Question 7 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   How will observers watch the pandas’ arrival?

   Return to the passage, recording or visual
   1. Only as a conservation experiment
   2. As both a zoo event and a sign of renewed contact
   3. Only as proof of political agreement
   4. As evidence that tensions have ended completely
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   As both a zoo event and a sign of renewed contact

   The conclusion presents practical and symbolic readings of the same event.

   The animals’ arrival will consequently be watched both as a zoo event and as a sign of renewed contact in an established area of U.S.-China relations.

What to review next

Listen again to difficult sections, then open the transcript to check what you heard. Repeat a useful phrase aloud and try the recording once more without the text.

A focused practice result shows how you did on these tasks. Use several activities across skills to decide what to study next; one practice score does not certify an overall CEFR level.

Before you practise: a worked example

Listen for the final information, especially when a speaker corrects or changes an earlier statement.

Example transcript: “Let’s meet at five — actually, half past five would be better.” What is the final suggested time?

The final suggested time is 5:30. Actually signals a correction; the first time is replaced by the later suggestion.

This teaching example is separate from the scored questions. After your test, compare any mistakes with the explanation and revisit the topic before trying again.