英语高级口译资格证书第一阶段考试
section 1: listening test (30 minutes)
part a: spot dictation
directions: in this part of the test, you will hear a passage and read the same passage with blanks in it. fill in each of the blanks with the words you have heard on the tape. write your answer in the corresponding space in your answer booklet. remember you will hear. the passage only once.
um ... if i could just take this opportunity to briefly summarize the company's attitude to the question of providing information for our employees. well er ... we know that ________(1) would like more opportunity to let the company know how they feel on things ___________(2). and certainly from the surveys that we've done, they seem to emphasize the value of _________(3) ... er ... especially at a time of change and uncertainty __________(4) and in the outside world. anyway, action has been ___________(5) to increase face-to-face communication ____________(6) and to improve the flow of upward communication.
um ... you also know how much we ____________(7) and so we continue to provide training facilities to enable employees who are elected to consultative committees ____________(8) in their new role.
now, when it comes to informing the workforce. um ... well, employees, we believe, have a right to (9) about the company, whether or not the information makes them ___________(10).
and “... um ... and in formation programme” makes this possible. well, let me just ___________(11). er ... supervisors, for instance, may need informing about ______________(12) before they go into production.
and supervisors should also be given _____________(13) and marketing objectives, and about its performance related to ____________(14). at the same time, of course, we are naturally aware of the problems of giving too much information on ____________(15). well, er ... the competition may get to _____________(16) too soon!
but ... um ... but in the end we shouldn't ___________(17) that even if the management does not ____________(18), that they and even the workers themselves will know a great deal about _____________(19), even, you know, even if they haven't been ______________(20).
part b: listening comprehension
directions: in this part of the test there will be some short talks and conversations. after each one, you will be asked some questions. the talks, conversations and questions will be spoken only once. now listen care fully and choose the right answer to each question you have heard and write the letter of the answer you have chosen in the corresponding space in your answer booklet.
questions 1 to 5 are based on the following conversation.
1. a. faulty goods. b. late deliveries.
c. inadequate after-staffing. d. over-pricing.
2. a. a union strike. b. inconvenient transportation.
c. under-staffing. d. excessive demand.
3. a. toy cars. b. cassette recorders.
c. radio sets. d. sports bicycles.
4. a. having a new factory equipped. b. expanding the present factory.
c. making extra workers redundant. d. adopting new technology.
5. a. the buyers were not informed about the problem.
b. the company can't solve the problem by getting extra workers.
c. the company is offering a 10% discount on all future orders.
d. the discount will mean a bigger profit for mr. olsen's retailers.
questions 6 to 10 are based on the following news.
6. a. the inflation rate has been rising in the past few months.
b. the inflation rate is expected to drop in may.
c. the inflation rate fell to 8.0% in april.
d. the inflation rate could rise to 8.7% in the next few months.
7. a. 3.9%. b. 4.2%.
c. 4.3%. d. 4.5%.
8. a. fewer than five. b. around fifty.
c. at least 100. d. over 1,000.
9. a. to prevent possible looting. b. to help the rescue work.
c. to look for anything to salvage. d. to restrict electricity supply.
10.a. taking bribes. b. offering bribes.
c. providing secret documents. d. resigning from his post.
questions 11 to 15 are based on the following interview.
11.a. lack of a clear marketing strategy.
b. failure to maintain quality control.
c. loss of market share due to over-pricing.
d. no new products being pushed onto the market.
12.a. aiming solely at the middle range of the market.
b. competing with cheap foreign imports.
c. concentrating on lower-priced goods.
d. selling products to the japanese.
13.a. to promote sales. b. to increase production.
c. to save on materials. d. to improve quality.
14.a. about two years ago.
b. three years after he finished college.
c. last year.
d. six months ago.
15.a. heavy losses will be slightly reduced.
b. share prices will rise sharply.
c. a dividend will be paid to shareholders.
d. income from sales will equal costs.
questions 16 to 20 are based on the following talk.
16.a. people in different parts of north america speak english differently.
b. canadians and americans are mutually intelligible despite differences in spoken english.
c. of all three types of differences in spoken english, differences in accent are the most obvious.
d. written english is the same everywhere in north america.
17.a. bostonians. b. new yorkers.
c. the british. d. canadians.
18.a. there is less variation in vocabulary than in grammar.
b. differences in grammar are more obvious that those in pronunciation.
c. people are more concerned with spoken grammar than with written grammar.
d. some variation in spoken grammar is more acceptable in certain areas.
19.a. economic class. b. social class.
c. geography. d. history.
20.a. written english.
b. educated english.
c. english spoken by the social elite.
d. english adopted by the government.
section 2: listening test (30 minutes)
directions: in this section you will read several passages. each one is followed by several questions about it. you are to choose one best answer, (a), (b), (c) or (d), to each question. answer all the questions following each passage on the basis of what is stated or implied in that passage and write the letter of the answer you have chosen in the corresponding space in your answer booklet.
questions 1～5
the horror story closest to alfred hitchcock's heart was never told. a hollywood studio brutally killed off the film the director had nurtured for years because it feared he was becoming too controversial.
hitchcock planned the film, provisionally entitled kaleidoscope, as the most provocative and daring in his glittering career. if made, it would have featured a style, content and level of violence not attempted before in mainstream cinema.
it followed successes with films such as north by northwest, made in 1959, which starred cary grant in a prototype 007 role, and psycho, made the following year, which became famous for its spine chilling shower murder. now notes and other documents left “by the master of suspense”have shown that hitchcock was not content to rest on the reputation earned by such classics and was planning to reinvent himself at the age of 68.
kaleidoscope would have featured a handsome psycho path and his female pursuer. the plot was based on the true-life story of neville heath, a sadistic 28-year-old raf officer hanged in 1946 for the sexual assault and savage murder of two young women.
film experts who have seen the detailed notes and preliminary footage say they show “hitch”was thinking of ideas that were years ahead of their time, and anticipating the approach of movies made in the late 1960s and 1970s such as easy rider and mean streets.
four reels of film were shot in a feasibility study but then the entire project was scuppered by executives as universal studios who said it was too drastic a change in direction.
the reels, along with hitchcock's written descriptions of the film, were found by dan auiler, a film historian who was sifting through the huge collection of papers that hitchcock's daughter patricia donated to the academy of motion picture arts and sciences in los angles. “if kaleidoscope had been released it could have been one of hitch's greatest movies,”he said.
the preliminary reels were shot in new york in 1967. after editing, there was about 10 minutes of screen time. the first scene shows a nude model in her apartment and the second, in an artist's studio, shows the young killer meeting the model. in a break with tradition, hitchcock, who turned cary grant and grace kelly into screen heart throbs, proposed using unknown actors.
auiler has included a description of the film—and hitchcock's hopes for its impact on his career—in his new book, hitchcock's secret diaries. the film director died in 1980 at the age of 80.
“hitchcock was enormously impressed by the new wave of european film-makers and wanted to reinvent the hitchcock film at an age when most people are content to enjoy a quiet retirement,”said auiler. “he never quite forgave universal and when he was filming the seventies film frenzy he shot it entirely in london to lessen the studio's control.”
the discoveries are likely to generate more interest in hitchcock at events planned to celebrate his birth in london a hundred years ago.
1. which of the following best expresses the meaning of the beginning sentence “the horror story closest to alfred hitchcock's heart was never told”?
a. hitchcock did not succeed in telling his last and most daring horror story.
b. hitchcock's best horror film was never shown to the public.
c. hitchcock was not able to complete his last horror story.
d. hitchcock left his favorite pioneering horror film unfinished.
2. which of the following is true about kaleidoscope?
a. it was based on a fiction by neville heath.
b. it was produced in 1970s.
c. it was not accepted by the audience.
d. it was not approved by the film producer.
3. according to the passage, are all the films directed by alfred hitchcock.
a. easy rider, north by northwest and psycho
b. north by northwest, frenzy and psycho
c. mean streets, easy rider and frenzy
d. kaleidoscope, easy rider and mean streets
4. the word “scuppered”in the clause “the entire project was scuppered by executives at universal studios”(para. 6) can best be replaced by.
a. recommended b. reviewed
c. negated d. encouraged
5. it can be concluded from the passage that.
a. hitchcock's daughter first discovered kaleidoscope with the help from film experts
b. film experts and historians find great significance in kaleidoscope in their research of hitchcock
c. hitchcock won the title of “the master of suspense”because of kaleidoscope
d. kaleidoscope will be shown to the public soon to celebrate hitchcock's birthday
questions 6～10
the police federation launched an aggressive anti racism poster campaign yesterday, saying it was determined to restore the reputation of the service in the wake of the stephen lawrence inquiry. fred broughton, chairman, said it was time for the federation, which has been criticised for not addressing black issues, to “put up or shut up”.
but the black police association boycotted the lunch and said the (30,000 campaign) “lacked credibility”. a spokesman said: “it has never been supportive to black issues, never acted as a platform for black issues, it lacks credibility with black officers and it has a poor image in the black community. we would say get your own house in order before you embark on such a campaign.” “we don't have a problem with the message. we have a problem with the messenger. ”
the federation, which represents rank and file officers in england and wales, has sent 20,000 posters and leaflets to the country's 43 police forces. the campaign, similar to a commission for racial equality antiracism drive, is designed to tackle public perceptions about black people and the police. it aims to tackle passive racism in the service and promote black and asian role models, mr. broughton said.
one poster says: “what do you call a black man in a bmw? —a police sergeant on patrol.”another shows the face of a black man with the message: “been mugged? tell him— he's a police officer. ”
mr. broughton said the posters would “encourage and stimulate debate about racism. ” “the service must show itself to be anti racist and must actively campaign on that basis to restore the reputation of the service.”
mr. broughton said he was disappointed the bpa had boycotted the event. “we have had close contact with the bpa for over six months at every stage of this campaign.”
the campaign followed the damning macpherson report on the murder of black teenager stephen lawrence and subsequent orders by the home secretary, jack straw, that forces should recruit 8,000 officers from ethnic minorities within 10 years.
about 7% of the population in england and wales is black or asian, but they form only 2% of police officers.
the bpa was set up in 1994, supported by metropolitan police commissioner sir paul condon, to represent black officers despite opposition from within the federation.
bob purkiss, of the commission for racial equality, called on white police officers to back the federation's campaign against racism. but admitted the service had been badly damaged by the lawrence report.
6. which of the following can be the best title for this passage?
a. the murder of stephen lawrence under inquiry
b. posters upset black police
c. anti-racism poster campaign
d. police service damaged by lawrence report
7. which of the following is closest in meaning to the expression “put up or shut up”(para. 1)?
a. defend oneself or admit errors
b. assume responsibility or show indifference
c. continue as before or take a new course
d. take action or keep silence
8. the poster with the image of a black man and the message “been mugged? tell him—he's a police officer. ”shows people.
a. how to recognize black police
b. that they can trust black police when in danger
c. how to behave when being attacked
d. that only black police can beetsted
9. all of the following express the attitude of the bpa towards the anti-racism poster campaign except.
a. “... the (30.000 campaign) ‘lacked credibility’”
b. “we would say get your own house in order ... ”
c. “the service must show itself to be anti－racist.”
d. “we have a problem with the messenger. ”
10. it can be inferred from the passage that.
a. the major problem in the restoration of police image is racism within the police force
b. the bpa is a sub-division under the police federation
c. the commission for racial equality started the anti racism poster campaign
d. the bpa opposes the poster campaign
questions 11～15
if ever there was a mouse that roared, it's mickey. universal's islands of adventure may have stolen walt disney's thunder, but when it comes to theme parks, mickey mouse is sill king.
disney's florida theme park at orlando covers 32,000 acres—the size of manchester—and attracted 40m visitors last year. the more sophisticated may feel its blend of wholesomeness and kitsch is outdated, but there is little arguing with the numbers.
in contrast, rank and seagram pulled 8m visitors into their universal studios park last year. but with the launch of islands of adventure they hope to give the mouse—as insiders call disney—a run for its money.
the 110-acre site at orlando is based on five islands and aimed squarely at a more thrill seeking, slightly older market. three of the rides are so fast they induce zero gravity—and vomiting. the incredible hulk rollercoaster—themed on marvel comics' superhero-accelerates from 0 to 42mph in two seconds, then reaches 60mph, before flipping through seven loops.
the cost of building the rides is just as eye popping. the hulk is said to have cost more than ま50m while the amazing adventures of spider man, the park's sensational 3d ride, cost more. the exact figures are secret, but one thing is certain: when disney hits back it will spend even more.
rank and seagram's decision to build three hotels on the site will be the key to taking the fight to disney. portofino bay, a 750-room hotel based on the famous italian fishing village, is almost complete. work has begun on a 650-room hard rock hotel and the 1,000-room royal pacific is due to open in 2001.
the expanded complex has now been re-christened universal studios escape and the partners have signed up a number of sponsors, including coca-cola and daimler-chrysler's dodge division, to run joint marketing campaigns as well as launching a 31m advertising campaign.
edgar bronfman, the chief executive of seagram, sees universal's more sophisticated image as a key to its success: “this is a quantum leap away from disney. the newness of the park means we can deliver an experience they cannot rival,”he says.
the competition will intensify as universal studios escape moves into japan and eyes europe. bronfman compares the two companies to mci and at&t, but bronfman believes there is room for both universal and disney and that one day they will compete on more level terms.
disney says it is not concerned—never one to sell itself short, the company says it considers new york and europe as its rivals. but disney has started building on its first true rollercoaster: the rock and roller coaster. the ride will be outside and will not have its workings hidden, as all other disney rides do.
walt disney was firmly against rollercoasters and this move is seen as showing just how seriously the mouse is listening to its small but noisy neighbour.
11. the expression “to give the mouse ... a run for its money”(para. 3) can be paraphrased as_____.
a. to give the mouse a chance to gain more profits
b. to provide the mouse more advantages for competition
c. to press the mouse to spend more in its competition
d. to help the mouse with its financial planning
12. the fact that disney has started to build its first rollercoaster shows that________.
a. it is consistent with its policies
b. it is planning to merge with universal studios escape
c. it is pioneering in introducing new entertainments
d. it is under the strong pressure from its competitors
13. why does bronfman compare universal and disney to the two telecoms companies mci and at&t?
a. because mci and at&t are competing on level terms.
b. because one is smaller than the other but dares to compete with its rival.
c. because both are facing the opportunities for development.
d. because mct has defeated at&t and set an example for universal.
14. all of the following contribute to the strengthening of universal's competitiveness except.
a. the building of the rock and roller coaster
b. the construction of portofino bay, hard rock and royal pacific
c. the completion of the amazing adventures of spider-man
d. the launch of islands of adventure
15. which of the following best expresses the main idea of the passage?
a. islands of adventure is the key to success of universal studios escape.
b. rank and seagram is seeking development in japan and europe.
c. disney is responding quickly to universal's challenge.
d. universal's theme park is seriously rivalling disney.
questions 16～20
a radio ad for a bedding company makes an impressive offer. “mattresses delivered in two hours!”the announcer crows, calling this no waiting service “bedding for busy people.”
once upon a less-hurried time, mattresses, like other long-term purchases, arrived at a more deliberate pace. but that was before “wait”turned into a four-letter word, and before “now!” became the imperial command of a nation of impatient consumers. today waiting is increasingly viewed as an outmoded concept, an insult to a busy customer's time. immediate service offers instant gratification—it's the new formula for business success.
thanks to technology, faxes and e-mail make waiting for post-office “snail mail” unnecessary. call-waiting spares a caller the indignity of hearing a busy signal and waiting to redial. and credit cards eliminate the need to postpone shopping until cash is available. just say, “charge it,”and spend freely. in a 24-hour society, eager shoppers, plastic in hand, can fulfill their consumer desires around the clock. no waiting required.
already the demand for immediacy has become so urgent that one express photo company in boston offers a “panic rush service.”
further evidence of an increasingly wait free society appears in two current books. in “doing business ＠the speed of thought,”bill gates predicts that “velocity”will be the buzzword of the 2000s.
in “blur: the speed of change in the connected economy, ”authors stan davis and christopher meyer take a similar approach. “make speed your mind-set,”they advise. “your customer should not have to wait for service, your supplier for needed information, your partner for sing-offs, and so on.”
so much speed! it's enough to make a weary reader want to order a mattress and take a nap when it arrives in two hours.
the prospect of greater efficiency can be encouraging. but what happens when a whole generation grows up never having to wait for much of anything? when delayed gratification is perceived as a problem to be overcome? when children—all the rest of us—approach everything with finger tapping impatience?
in an age of increasing impatience, what happens even to the biblical injunction to “wait patiently on the lord”? there's more that a little truth behind thej oking prayer, “god grant me patience, and give it to me right now. ”
even pregnancy, once the ultimate test of patience as parents waited nine months to learn whether their child is a girl or boy, is no longer a sweet mystery. diagnostic tests can reveal the sex of a fetus in the early months.
at its worst, waiting simply wastes time. a few years ago a lifestyle management expert, michael fortino, estimated that an average american will spend five years during a lifetime waiting in line and six months sitting at red lights. he didn't mention waiting on hold. as any frequent flier knows, airline reservation phone lines specialize in soothing recorded voices that urge callers—again and again, while long minutes tick by to “please hold for the next available agent.” hold--what a clever euphemism for wait.
yet at its best, waiting can serve as a period of quiet preparation and expectation. as the speed of the world increases, so will the need for people with the capacity to maintain an unhurried pace—who know how to wait, serenely and expectantly.
certain things, of course, can never be rushed, among them paydays, holidays, and seasons. still, given the advances of technology, even an otherwise patient waiter can be forgiven for wishing that scientists could shorten winter and speed the arrival of spring. in such a fantasy, the last snow would melt by late february. tulips and daffodils would bloom on march 1, and trees would begin leafing out the same week. temperatures would remain balmy all month. no more lions in march.
scientists, are you listening? some of us can't wait.
16. the tone of the passage can be described as one of_________.
a. matter-of-factness b. despair and hopelessness
c. reproach and criticism d. satire and irony
17.which of the following expresses the organization of the passage?
a. generalization—illustration—conclusion
b. examples—comparative analysis—counterevidence
c. questions—answers—conclusion
d. comments—comparison—generalization
18. in the passage the writer introduced two books__________.
a. to establish the basis of argument
b. to illustrate the relationship between technology and human civilization
c. to provide evidence for the theme of the passage
d. to show the prominence of these authors
19. the expression “waiting simply wastes time”(para. 12) implies that_______.
a. waiting has more advantages than disadvantages
b. waiting has more disadvantages than advantages
c. waiting has only limited disadvantages
d. waiting has numerous disadvantages
20. according to the author, the advances of technology___________.
a. will satisfy all of our wishes
b. cannot change the law of nature
c. will make no-waiting service possible
d. should not be over-exaggerated
英语高级口译资格证书第一阶段考试
section 1: listening test (30 minutes)
part a: spot dictation
directions: in this part of the test, you will hear a passage and read the same passage with blanks in it. fill in each of the blanks with the words you have heard on the tape. write your answer in the corresponding space in your answer booklet. remember you will hear. the passage only once.
um ... if i could just take this opportunity to briefly summarize the company's attitude to the question of providing information for our employees. well er ... we know that ________(1) would like more opportunity to let the company know how they feel on things ___________(2). and certainly from the surveys that we've done, they seem to emphasize the value of _________(3) ... er ... especially at a time of change and uncertainty __________(4) and in the outside world. anyway, action has been ___________(5) to increase face-to-face communication ____________(6) and to improve the flow of upward communication.
um ... you also know how much we ____________(7) and so we continue to provide training facilities to enable employees who are elected to consultative committees ____________(8) in their new role.
now, when it comes to informing the workforce. um ... well, employees, we believe, have a right to (9) about the company, whether or not the information makes them ___________(10).
and “... um ... and in formation programme” makes this possible. well, let me just ___________(11). er ... supervisors, for instance, may need informing about ______________(12) before they go into production.
and supervisors should also be given _____________(13) and marketing objectives, and about its performance related to ____________(14). at the same time, of course, we are naturally aware of the problems of giving too much information on ____________(15). well, er ... the competition may get to _____________(16) too soon!
but ... um ... but in the end we shouldn't ___________(17) that even if the management does not ____________(18), that they and even the workers themselves will know a great deal about _____________(19), even, you know, even if they haven't been ______________(20).
part b: listening comprehension
directions: in this part of the test there will be some short talks and conversations. after each one, you will be asked some questions. the talks, conversations and questions will be spoken only once. now listen care fully and choose the right answer to each question you have heard and write the letter of the answer you have chosen in the corresponding space in your answer booklet.
questions 1 to 5 are based on the following conversation.
1. a. faulty goods. b. late deliveries.
c. inadequate after-staffing. d. over-pricing.
2. a. a union strike. b. inconvenient transportation.
c. under-staffing. d. excessive demand.
3. a. toy cars. b. cassette recorders.
c. radio sets. d. sports bicycles.
4. a. having a new factory equipped. b. expanding the present factory.
c. making extra workers redundant. d. adopting new technology.
5. a. the buyers were not informed about the problem.
b. the company can't solve the problem by getting extra workers.
c. the company is offering a 10% discount on all future orders.
d. the discount will mean a bigger profit for mr. olsen's retailers.
questions 6 to 10 are based on the following news.
6. a. the inflation rate has been rising in the past few months.
b. the inflation rate is expected to drop in may.
c. the inflation rate fell to 8.0% in april.
d. the inflation rate could rise to 8.7% in the next few months.
7. a. 3.9%. b. 4.2%.
c. 4.3%. d. 4.5%.
8. a. fewer than five. b. around fifty.
c. at least 100. d. over 1,000.
9. a. to prevent possible looting. b. to help the rescue work.
c. to look for anything to salvage. d. to restrict electricity supply.
10.a. taking bribes. b. offering bribes.
c. providing secret documents. d. resigning from his post.
questions 11 to 15 are based on the following interview.
11.a. lack of a clear marketing strategy.
b. failure to maintain quality control.
c. loss of market share due to over-pricing.
d. no new products being pushed onto the market.
12.a. aiming solely at the middle range of the market.
b. competing with cheap foreign imports.
c. concentrating on lower-priced goods.
d. selling products to the japanese.
13.a. to promote sales. b. to increase production.
c. to save on materials. d. to improve quality.
14.a. about two years ago.
b. three years after he finished college.
c. last year.
d. six months ago.
15.a. heavy losses will be slightly reduced.
b. share prices will rise sharply.
c. a dividend will be paid to shareholders.
d. income from sales will equal costs.
questions 16 to 20 are based on the following talk.
16.a. people in different parts of north america speak english differently.
b. canadians and americans are mutually intelligible despite differences in spoken english.
c. of all three types of differences in spoken english, differences in accent are the most obvious.
d. written english is the same everywhere in north america.
17.a. bostonians. b. new yorkers.
c. the british. d. canadians.
18.a. there is less variation in vocabulary than in grammar.
b. differences in grammar are more obvious that those in pronunciation.
c. people are more concerned with spoken grammar than with written grammar.
d. some variation in spoken grammar is more acceptable in certain areas.
19.a. economic class. b. social class.
c. geography. d. history.
20.a. written english.
b. educated english.
c. english spoken by the social elite.
d. english adopted by the government.
japan's once enviable jobless rate will soar to double-digit levels if—and the warning is a big one—firms opt for drastic western-style layoffs to boost profits. while japan's life-time employment system is visibly unravelling, many economists still doubt whether a scenario of soaring joblessness will occur, given that economic incentives to slash payrolls clash with social and political pressures to save jobs. a kinder, gentler approach to restructuring would soften the social instability many fear would result from doubling thejobless rate, already at a record high.
critics believe it would also cap gains in profit margins and stifle economic vitality, especially in the absence of bold steps to open the door to new growth industries. some economists believe different methods of counting mean japan's jobless rate is already close to 7 per cent by united states standards, not that far from the 7.8 per cent peak hit in the us in 1992 when it began to emerge from a two-year slump.
section 4: listening test (30 minutes)
part a: note-taking and gap-filling
directions: in this part of the test you will hear a short talk. you will hear the talk only once. while listening to the talk, you may take notes on the important points so that you can have enough information to complete a gap-filling task on a separate answer booklet. you are required to write one word or figure only in each blank. you will not get your answer booklet until after you have listened to the talk.
many changes are expected to take place in transportation ________(1) in the twenty-first century. the present forms of transportation will be very different in design, ________(2) and technology. the automobile will remain the most important method of travelling, but it will become totally _________(3) and have a telephone. it will be smaller and more _________(4). gasoline mileage may rise to one hundred miles per gallon. other methods of transportation in cities will include __________(5) and other rapid transit systems, buses and people movers.” __________(6) will still be the cheapest way for long-distance travelling between cities, but they will be more ___________(7), with sleeper seats, video games, ___________(8) and even ___________(9) services. trains will change even more: they will move ___________(10) the tracks and will probably at a speed of ___________(11) miles per hour. the airplanes of the future will be _____________(12), faster, _________(13) and more economical, because they will be made of _____________(14). they will carry as many as 1,000 passengers and have computers as __________(15). in the passenger area, ____________(16) arrangements will be more comfortable and each passenger will have a private ____________(17). so in the new century our world will become smaller, because people will travel more ___________(18) and ___________(19) than they do today. there will be much more contact between people from different __________(20).
part b: listening and translation
Ⅰ. sentence translation
directions: in this part of the test, your will hear 5 english sentences. you will hear the sentences only once. after you have heard each sentence, translate it into chinese and write your version in the corresponding space in your answer booklet.
(1)___________________________________________________________________________
(2)___________________________________________________________________________
(3)___________________________________________________________________________
(4)___________________________________________________________________________
(5)___________________________________________________________________________
Ⅱ. passage translation
directions: in this part of the test, you will hear 2 passages. you will hear the passages only once. after you have heard each passage, translate it into chinese and write your version in the corresponding space in your answer booklet. you may take notes while you are listening.
(1)___________________________________________________________________________
(2)___________________________________________________________________________
questions 1～3
centuries of baffling legal terminology will be laid to rest next week in one of the biggest shake ups in civil court history. from monday, people bringing cases will be known as claimants not plaintiffs”while a writ”will become a claim form. lay people will no longer have to struggle with baffling latin words and phrases in an already confusing legal system. the changes, part of the big bang ”in civil legal procedure, are being driven by the lord chancellor's department after recommendations from lord wolf, the master of the rolls.
a spokesman for the department said “this will make the law easier to follow ,taking out the more difficult language and replacing it with words and phrases which people can understand.”he likened the problem to receiving a quote from a plumber or builder where those inexperienced in such matters tended to go along with the technical detail without really understanding what is being proposed. as an illustration he added : “people don't like declaring that they don't understand something, so that when a lawyer says they have to sign an affidavit (a written statement in the new language) they agree without knowing what it is.”
chrissie maher, founder director of the plain english campaign, has been lobbying for 30 years to get the courts to simplify their language. two thousand plain english members will be in court on monday to make sure that the lawyers sick to the new language. ms maher said many people who spent years involved in litigation could not understand the outcome of their case because it was told to them in legal jargon. she said:“it's humiliating for people who have to pay for the privilege of listening to lawyers.”and she added: “it cannot stop here, the criminal courts must change now. ”
monday's changeover includes new procedures which will allow court users a “fast-track” option for small cases and a more hands-on approach by the judges aimed at saving time and money. ian magee, chief executive of the court service, said: “we hope the civil justice reforms will make courts easier to use. the replacement of legal and latin terms with plain english phrases is part and parcel of that process. many current terms are confusing and difficult to understand for people who do not use courts regularly and we hope the new phrases will help people follow proceedings more easily. ”
for the first time, all 226 county courts in england and wales will be closed tomorrow to allow installation of software to accommodate the new vocabulary and the other changes.
ian walker, president of the association of personal injury lawyers, said that while he welcomed the reforms he thought monday would cause many problems for lawyers not fully acquainted with the new procedures. “it's all very well expecting us to be proactive and dynamic but if the technology can't deal with the changes then there will be problems.”
some lawyers have expressed sadness at the end of a language they have spent all their working lives getting to understand. but there will be a period of grace for those who find difficulty in breaking old habits and cannot adjust immediately to speaking in plain english.
1. why does the spokesman for the lord chancellor's department make the comparison between plumber / builder and lawyer?
2. explain briefly the plain english campaign and the major procedures of the civil justice reforms.
3. what are the responses of lawyers to the language reform?
questions 4～6
legs are a funny business. especially if you are trying to turn them on an expensive, computerised italian wood-working machine but do not have the skills to program it properly— as one small essex company found to its cost.
until dr. david hall took over as director, the 20 employee thames gateway technology centre—manufacturer of reproduction furniture in loughton—was about to spend a fortune on diamond-tipped tools to keep the machines running.
working the machines at the wrong speeds was destroying conventional tools and the company knew in ,but could not afford to send its staff to italy for training.
dr. hall had the answer. the university of east london had technology students who were learning exactly the computer aided design skills the company needed.
why not let them work for the company half a day a week? they would get exposure to employment skills, argued dr. hall, and at the same time solve the company's technical problems.
the scheme was so successful that the university is building it into a final-year project, and helped inspire a government-backed initiative in east london to encourage high-tech enterprise in the area through technology transfer.
it is hoped this move will lead to the regeneration of a region that has been badly hit by industrial decline, high unemployment and the lack of information technology skills to support new businesses.
the thames gateway technology centre was founded last summer with the help of a ま7.8m government grant from the single regeneration challenge fund. it will act as an agency to transfer technology and skills from higher education centres in london's east end to the local community.
the centre will make available the resources and expertise of three east london universities —the university of east london, queen mary & westfield college and the london guildhall university.
it is also working with other east london business agencies to provide start-up companies with access to business advice, training, technology support and financial backing.
housed at the university of east london's campus in stratford, the centre will move to the university's new ま40m docklands campus opening in september, overlooking the runway of the london city airport.
there, 1,00 square-metre site has been set aside for a technology park, consisting of 28incubator units to house new company start-ups.
as start-ups quickly outgrow the units dr. hall hopes they will move across to the royal business park being developed next to the university campus.
“we want technology transfer to increase jobs locally, so we are looking at applied technology—applications which can make use of the area's large semi-skilled and unskilled workforce, rater than importing professional jobs, as happened in the development of canary wharf,”says dr. hall.
the truth about technology transfer, he says, is shat if you shut an academic and a business person in a room for an eternity, such a transfer does not take place naturally. “we need an intermediary that will act as a catalyst for that technology transfer. the technology centre will do that.”
dr. hall became the technology centre’s first director last year after 15 years working in and running small industrial firms. typically, he says, many start-up companies do not have any technology capability. “they have a guy with a good idea who wants to get that idea to market. what they are not doing is looking round the corner at the next product to follow and the technology needed.”
in many areas of the country there is a pool of skilled labour they can call on later to do that. but east london does not have that technology platform, says dr. hall.
4. what does the initial sentence “legs are a funny business.”mean? what is the role of the first paragraph in the passage?
5. introduce briefly the thames gateway technology centre.
6. what do you know about the “technology transfer”discussed in the passage?
questions 7～10
the national outpouring after the littleton shootings has forced us to confront something we have suspected for a long time: the american high school is obsolete and should be abolished.
in the last month, high school students present and past have come forward with stories about cliques and the artificial intensity of a world defined by insiders and outsiders, in which the insiders hold sway because of superficial definitions of attractiveness, popularity and sports prowess.
indeed, a community's loyalty to the high school system is often based on the extent to which varsity teams succeed. high school administrators and faculty members are often former coaches, and the coaches them-selves are placed in a separate, untouchable category. the result is that the culture of the inside elite is not contested by the adults in the school. individuality and dissent are discouraged.
but the rules of high school turn out not to be the rules of life. often, the high school outsider becomes the more successful and admired adult. the definitions of masculinity and femininity go through sufficient transformation to make the game of popularity in high school an embarrassment.
given the poor quality of recruitment and training for high school teachers, it is no wonder that the curriculum and the enterprise of learning hold so little sway over young people.
when puberty meets education and learning in the modern united states, the victory of puberty masquerading as popular culture and the tyranny of peer groups based on ludicrous values meet little resistance.
by the time those who graduate from high school go on to college and realize what really is at stake in becoming an adult, too many opportunities have been lost and too much time has been wasted. most thoughtful young people suffer the high school environment in silence and in their junior and senior years mark time waiting for college to begin.
but the primary reason high school doesn't work anymore, if it ever did, is that young people mature substantially earlier in the late 20th century than they did when the high school was invented. for example, the age of first menstruation has dropped at least two years since the beginning of this century and, not surprisingly, sexual activity has begun earlier in proportion. an institution intended for children in transition now holds back young adults well beyond the developmental point for which high school was originally designed.
furthermore, whatever constraints on the presumption of adulthood existed decades ago have fallen away. information and images, as well as the real and virtual freedom of movement we associate with adulthood, are now accessible to every 16-year-old.
secondary education must be rethought. elementary school should begin at age 4 to 5 end with the sixth grade. we americans should entirely abandon the concept of the middle school and junior high school. beginning with the seventh grade, there should be four years of secondary education that we may call high school. young people should graduate at 16, not 18.
they could then enter the real world of work or national service, in which they would take a place of responsibility alongside older adults. they could stay at home and attend junior college, or they could go away to college.
at 16, young americans are prepared to be taken seriously and to develop the motivations and interests that will serve them well in adult life. they need to enter a world in which they are not in a lunchroom with only their peers. estranged from other age groups and cut off from the game of life as it is really played.
there is nothing utopian about this idea—it is immensely practical and efficient, and its implementation is long overdue. we need to face biological and cultural facts and not prolong the life of a flawed institution that is out of date.
7. explain the statement “the curriculum and the enterprise of learning hold so little sway over young people.”(para. 5)
8. why does the author suggest that american high school “should be abolished”? give some of the major reasons according to the passage.
9. why does the author suggest that “young people should graduate at16, not 18 ”?
10. explain briefly the statement “the rules of high school turn out to be the rules of life.”(para. 4)
section 6: listening test (30 minutes)
directions: translate the following passage into english and write your version in the corresponding space in your answer booklet.
黄浦江纵横南北，把上海分为两部分，浦东因位于黄浦江以东而得名。本世纪20～30年代，随着以外滩为核心的金融、商贸区的建立，外商和我国民族酱家开始把经济活动伸 向浦东地区。但黄浦江的阻隔，极大地影响了浦东的经济发展。浦江两岸形成了一边是万商云集的十里洋场，一边是以自然农作 为主的大片农田的鲜明对照。
自1990 年中央宣布开放浦东以来，浦东新区的建设日新月异，突飞猛进。高楼大厦如雨后春笋，拔地而地，田园风光和现代建筑交相辉映，浦东正以崭新的面貌跨入新世纪。
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sectlon1: listenlng test (30 minutes)
part a: spot dictation
1. the majority of employees 2. that affect them
3. two-way communication 4. within the company
5. set in motion 6. between managers and staff
7. value consultation with our workforce 8. to perform effectively
9. know the basic facts 10. more efficient
11. give you one example 12. new products
13. some outline about a company s profit 14. its competitors
15. future product plans 16. hear about it
17. ignore the face 18. communicate with supervisors
19. what is going on 20. they haven t been told formally
part b: listening comprehension
1-5 b d c a c 6-10 c b c a c
11-15 c a d a d 16-20 a b d a c
section 2: reading test
1-5 d d b c b 6-10 b c b d a
11-15 c d b a d 16-20 d b c c b
section 3: translation test
如果各公司断然采取西立国家裁员的做法以增加利润，日本一度令人羡慕的失业率将上升至两位数。虽然日本的终生雇佣制明显地在解体，但是鉴于大幅度裁员刺激经济的动 机同要求保留工作岗位的社会压力和政治压力相冲突，许多经济学家仍无法断定日本是否会出现失业率急剧上升的局面。以一个较为仁兹和温和的做法调整经济，可以缓解社会的 动荡不安，因为许多人担心早已创记录的失业率 再增长一倍就会导致社会不安定。
评论家们认为，高失业率还会限制利润的增长和抑制经济活力，特别是如果不采取大胆步骤为增长型产业敞开大门的话。一些经济学家认为，用不用的方法计算，按美国标准， 日本的失业率早已接近7％，同1992 年美国7.8％的最高失业率相去不远，而当时美国开 始走出两年的经济衰退期。
section 4：listening test
part a: note-taking and gap-filling
1. technology 2. materials
3. electronic 4. economical
5. subways 6. buses
7. comfortable 8. movies/films
9. meal 10. above
11. 300 12. quieter
13. cleaner 14. plastic
15. pilots 16. sleeping
17. television/radio. etc. 18. often/frequently, etc.
19. farther 20. cultures/nations/countries
part b: listening and translation
Ⅰ. sentence translation
1. 我们能否简单谈一下有关这次销售会议的情况？我想确保本月底一切准备就绪。
2. 现在 国妇女同工同酬，90％的 国妇女有工作，担任卡车司机、科学家和其他大多 数传统由男子承担的工作。
3. 20 世纪之前，大多数黑人住在美国南部。因此，人们往往把对黑人的偏见与南方联系 在一起。
4. 1997 年，贫穷白人的数目增至11.5%。28 ％的黑人家庭被认定是贫穷的，定期收到食 品券。
5. 这一年龄群的人不得不借款买房子或公寓，他们还不得不花很多钱用来添置家具和其 他器具。
Ⅱ. passage translation
1. 我们美国人懒得让人难以置信。我们不会准备简单又有营养的饭菜，而公仅仅是把冷 冻食品送进炉子。我们不去细读日报，而是满足于网络上的浓缩新闻。最糟糕的是， 我们甚至不愿意走几个街 去附近的便利商店，而干脆跳进汽车。依赖汽车，甚至短 途出行也依靠汽车的习惯剥夺了我们可贵的步行体验。如果我们少坐汽车，多步行， 我们就能节省金钱，变得更健康，还能发现周围环境 颇具魅力的事物。
2. 体育活动是孩子们的事。成年人没有时间打棒球，或绕场奔跑，或在体育馆内做有氧 操和举重。他们必须挣钱养家，为退休而存钱。他们可以把锻炼留给自己的孩子。我 坚信这种说法，直到有一天，我因为怕迟到而追赶一辆公共汽车，我的心脏砰砰跳动， （肺部）上气不接下气，头也晕了起来。这时我认识到，除非我养成做点体力活动的 习惯以保持健康，我将无法干活养家或享受退休生活。定期锻炼会使 的身心重新焕发活力和朝气，开拓 的兴趣爱好。
section 5: reading test
1. because both plumbers/builders and lawyers use technical/professional terms which are often misleading/difficult to lay/ordinary people/to people who are “inexperienced”in such fields.in this sense their interests can/could be affected/weakened.
2. the organization has been working over the past decades for the simplification of legal language. the major target is to use plain english to replace difficult legal jargon/latin words and phrases and help people understand law/proceedings more easily. the major measure is to install all county courts in england and wales with software to provide the new vocabulary/legal terms and other (necessary) changes which will provide/give lawyers/court
users/judges easy access to the new vocabulary.
3. on the whole/generally speaking, lawyers welcome the changes/reforms in legal terms/vocabulary. they also show some worry over possible technological failures. some of them feel sorry/sad about the end of a language which they have worked hard to understand.
4. the sentence implies that the manufacturing of furniture legs can be quite “costly” when (they are) produced with computerized machine but the proper skills are not mastered by workers. the first paragraph serves as evidence/gives an example showing the significance/importance of the theme of the passage-technology transfer.
5. the center is founded with the help of government fund/grant, it is mainly involved in technology transfer, linking/connecting universities in east london with london with local enterprises and providing business advice, training, technology support and financial backing.
6. it mainly refers to the integration/combination of academic learning/research in universities and application of high-tech in enterprises and the development of local industry/employment (in east london area).
7. the sentence means that the courses/subjects offered in schools and the academic learning/study do not attract/are not very attractive to students/young people.
8. the author holds this view because he thinks the american high school today separates young people from the outside/adult world, it discourages the development of individuality and independent thinking. besides, the quality of teacher training is poorer and the young people mature much earlier. so when students leave school, they cannot adapt themselves to the outside world quickly and smoothly.
9. the author thinks young people today reach maturity two years earlier “biologically”, and they have easier access to the “information and images”of adulthood/adult world/life. therefore, the shortening of secondary education can/will suit/meet the biological/cultural/psychological development of young people.
10. the author means the artificial/superficial/separate/untouchable culture/ “definitions ”/ “values”differ greatly/are quite different from the outside/real/adult world/real society. the implication is students/young people can/will not benefit much from such education/school life.
section 6: translation test
the huangpu river flows across shanghai from north to south, dividing the city into two parts. historically, pudong got its name from its location on the east bank of the huangpu priver. in the 20's and the 30's of this century when the finance and business trade district with the bund as its center was established, foreign businessmen and chinese national capitalists began to extend their economic activities to the pudong area. however, inconvenient transportation occasioned by river crossing greatly affected the economic development of pudong. the long stretch of foreign concessions frequented by thousands of merchants on one side of the huangpr river and the vast patch of natural crops on the other side formed a striking contrast.
since 1990 when the central government announced the opening up and development of pudong, the pudong new area has seen astonishing progress and rapid changes in construction and has achieved outstanding successes in economic development. high-rises have mushroomed, combining idyllic scenery and modern building, which brings a brand-new pudong into the new century.
听力测试题录音文字稿：
section 1：listening test
part a: spot dictation
directions: in this part of the test, you will hear a passage and read the same passage with blanks in it. fill in each of the blanks with the word or words you have heard on the tape. write your answer in the corresponding space in your answer booklet. remember you will hear the passage only once. now let's begin part a with spot dictation.
(man) um…if i could just take this opportunity to briefly summarize the company s attitude to the question of providing information for our employees, well…er…we know that the majority of employees would like more opportunity to let the company know how they feel on things that affect them. and certainly from the surveys that we've done, they seem to emphasize the value of two-way communication…er…especially at a time of change and uncertainty within the company and in the outside world. anyway, action has been set in motion to increase face-to-face communication between managers and staff and to improve the flow of upward communication.
um…you also know how much we value consultation with our workforce and so we continue to provide training facilities to enable employees who are elected to consultative committees to perform effectively in their new role.
now, when it comes to informing the workforce. um…well, employees, we believe, have a right to know the basic facts about the company, whether or not the information makes them more efficient.
and…um…and “information programme” makes this possible. well, let me just give you one example. er…supervisors, for instance, may need informing about new products before they go into production.
and supervisors should also be given some outline about a company's profit and marketing objectives, and about its performance related to its competitors. at the same time, of course, we are naturally aware of the problems of giving too much information on future product plans. well, er…the competition may get to hear about it too soon!
but…um…but in the end we shouldn't ignore the fact that even if the management does not communicate with supervisors, that they and even the workers themselves will know a great deal about what is going on, even, you know. even if they haven't been told formally…
part b: listening comprehension
directions: in this part of the test, there will be some short talks and conversations. after each one, you will be asked some questions. the talks, conversations and questions will be spoken only once. now listen carefully and choose the right answer to each question you have heard and write the letter of the answer you have chosen in the corresponding space in your answer booklet. now let's begin part b with listening comprehension.
questions 1 to 5 are based on the following conversation.
f: hello, da rosa speaking.
m: hello, miss rosa. this is jesper olsen from dansk electric in copenhagen.
f: how are you, mr. olsen? what can i do for you?
m: i'm afraid it's a problem about your deliveries. the last delivery you made was more than three weeks late. we've had a lot of complaints from our retailers about this.
f: i'm sorry to hear that. did you receive notification from our sales department that the delivery was going to be late?
m: no, we didn't. what's the problem?
f: really, it's a result of our success. demand for our radios has been so great that production just can't keep up with it.
m: i see. so can we expect such delays with future orders for your radio products?
f: yes, at least for the next six months. we're having a new factory equipped at the moment and it should start producing then.
m: there's no way you can increase production until then?
f: we've taken on some extra workers but it won't make much difference. it's just a question of production capacity given the present size of our factory.
m: yes, i can see your problem. i'll just have to warn our retailers about that.
f: i'm very sorry our sales department didn't contact you about the problem. i'll get onto them about this. because of the problems this has caused you, i would like to offer you a 10% discount on this and future orders until our new factory opens.
m: that's very reasonable of you, miss rosa. as this will mean a bigger profit margin for our retailers, i'm sure they'll be much happier about the situation.
f: i'm glad to hear that. i'll confirm these details to you in a letter. is there anything else i can do for you at the moment ?
m: no, that's fine. i'll inform our retailers about the situation. and thanks very much for your help.
f: not at all. i'm sorry about the problem. but, as i say, things should be considerably better soon.
m: right. well, goodbye for now.
f: goodbye, mr. olsen. thank you for your call.
question no.1. what does mr. olsen complain about?
question no.2. what has caused the problem?
question no.3. which product does the company turn out?
question no.4. what is the company doing to solve the problem?
question no.5. which of the following statements in not true, according to the dialogue?
questions 6 to 10 are based on the following news.
manila—philippine inflation eased in april as a bumper harvest stabilized food costs and interest rates fell, but could edge up again due to rising fuel and beer prices, officials and analysts said yesterday.
the inflation rate as measured by the consumer price index fell to 8.0 per cent year-on-year in april from 8.7 pre cent in march, government data showed. the decline was credited to a bumper harvest and the easing of interest rates, which reduced production costs and resulted in stable commodity prices.
food items account for 55 per cent of the index. interest rates for the benchmark 91-day treasury bills declined from 13.459 pre cent in january to 10.051 per cent this week. however, analysts said an impending increase in power rates by the state-run national power corp. a recent uptick in retail gasoline prices could push inflation up in may.
detroit—general motors, the leading us automaker on tuesday reported a 4.2 pre cent decline in total vehicle sales to 433,723 in april compared with the same month in 1998. car sales feel 4.5 per cent and truck sales 3.9 per cent, the company said in a statement here. despite the april performance, gm vice-president for north america sales roy roberts said: “we’re going into the summer season with excellent momentum. ”
lagos—an outbreak of cholera, measles and tuberculosis has claimed at least 100 lives in kano, northern nigeria, in the past month, hospital sources said in reports yesterday. an outbreak of cholera was first reported early in april when five people lost their lives, the independent newspaper the guardian reported, citing hospital sources. mansur mohammadu, a medical officer in charge of the state infectious diseases hospital, said over 1,000 people have been admitted for treatment of the three diseases in the past month. “in all honesty, the figure is probably above that, more than 100 people have lost their lives in the outbreak,”he said.
oklahoma city—oklahomans spend another grim day yesterday tallying losses from a devastating series of tornadoes which killed at least 43 people in the us heartland.
governor frank keating, who spent much of tuesday surveying ripped and shattered neighbourhoods around oklahoma city,was planning visits to several smaller, outlying towns which appeared to have been almost wiped off the map by monday’s furious storms.
in mulhall, to the north, and bridge creek, to the east, stunned townsfolk picked their way through the rubble of schools, markets, and houses looking for anything to salvage. one teacher, surveying what had once been her mathematics classroom, choked back the tears.
in oklahoma city’s hard-hit southern suburbs, police and national guard troops enforced an all-night curfew to prevent possible looting.
sydney—international olympics committee member phil coles denied yesterday he supplied the salt lake city winter olympics bid team with secret documents on ioc members, including notes identifying some members as being open to excessive gift-taking or bribes.
the documents, revealed in reports on tuesday by the australian broadcasting corp., provided salt lake city with a virtual blueprint of sydney’s successful bid for the 2000 games and included detailed notes written by coles and his partner about individual ioc members.
the continuation of the saga led to new calls yesterday for coles to resign from the sydney organizing committee for the olympic games (socog) to prevent it acting as a further deterrent to much-needed new sponsors and from hurting ticket sales, both vital to the sydney games budget.
question no.6. which of the following statements is true about recent philippine inflation?
question no.7. by what percentage did the total vehicle sales decline as reported by general motors?
question no.8. how many people have died in a recent outbreak of infectious diseases in nigeria?
question no.9. why was an all-night curfew enforced in oklahoma city?
question no.10. what did an international olympics committee member deny doing?
questions 11 to 15 are based on the following interview.
f: mr. angelo, you took over running this firm when it was in a very bad way. can you tell us what kind of problems you had to deal with?
m: basically, the faults were management ones. a clear marketing strategy has been developed. whereas before we aimed to sell our electrical products both in the lower and middle range of the market, now our marketing is aimed solely at the middle range. we are not able to compete with cheap foreign imports, so our production and marketing has been concentrated on higher priced. higher-profit-margin goods. of course, to compete in this market good quality is essential. therefore, improving quality has been stressed very strongly.
f: what exactly has been done to improve quality?
m: firstly, quality control circles were introduced. meetings of groups were held at which suggestions were put forward about how to improve quality. as a result of one suggestion incentive schemes have been introduced whereby staff receive bonuses if certain quality targets are reached. also a vastly increased training programme has been developed in areas where quality was poor.
f: you've been in charge of the company for two years now, mr. angelo; what is the company's present situation?
m: we've begun to turn the corner. after several years of heavy lonsses we hope to break even this year. to do this we've had to reduce the work-force considerably but now we can offer greater job security to our remaining staff. we're also hoping to pay a dividend next year if the present improvement continues.
f: so would you say the future prospects of the company are good?
m: we are hopeful. a lot remains to be done, of course, but we think that the new products we are developing will greatly improve our prospects. for example, a great deal of interest has already been shown in our satellite tv dish which has just been placed on the market. i think those investors who ve continued to support us will be rewarded by a substantial rise in the company's share price in the near future.
f: thank you very much of your comments, mr. angelo.
m: you're welcome.
question no.11. which of the following is not a problem faced by the company, when mr. angelo took over?
question no.12 what measure has been taken in relation to marketing?
question no.13 why have incentive schemes been introduced, according to mr. angelo?
question no.14 when did mr. angelo take over the management of the firm?
question no.15 what is expected of the company s situation this year?
question 16 to 20 are based on the following talk.
the north american continent consisting of the united states and canada covers an area of approximately 7,300,000 square miles. within this area live about 266 million people. 240 milion in the united states and 25 and a half million in canada. so many people, living in such a great area, are naturally different in many ways. if you have traveled around north american or if you have talked with people from different parts of this continent, then surely you have obvious differences are in people's pronunciation, but there are also some differences in grammar and many differences in vocabulary from region to region. in today s lecture we are going to look at some interesting examples of all three types of differences, beginning with pronunciation, or what you might call “accent”.
certain accents are easy to recognize because they contain features that are unique to a particular region of the continent. let me give you three examples. you can almost always recognize english-speaking canadians because they have a special way of pronouncing the sound that is usually spelled o-u. so, while people in the united states say out, about and around, canadians pronounce these words as owt, abowt, and arownd. can you hear the difference? another accent that is fairly easy to identify is that of new york city. many new yorkers pronounce the / a / sound almost as if it were spelled / owu /. listen to the difference: coffee, / ; dog, / dowug / ; because / becowuz /. some new yorkers also add an / r / sound to many vowel sounds, such as law and order, pronouncing it/ lawr en order. new yorkers also say ideer instead of idea and afriker instead of africa. people from boston, on the other hand say aant and haaf the way the british do, but in most other places people say aunt and half. bostonians also drop most of their r's. have you ever heard someone say he was going to pahk the cah? this person was probably from the boston area.
let's go on now to some differences in grammar. actually there isn't much variation in grammar from region to region. some variation in spoken grammar, as in the use of the simple past tense, is acceptable; for example, in some areas it's normal for people to say i ketched a fish instead of i caught a fish. but i want to emphasize that we are dealing here with spoken grammar, since, as you know, written english is the same everywhere; it is what we call standard english.
finally, let's talk about some vocabulary differences. these are fun to examine. for example, when you go to the supermarket, what do you carry your groceries home in? in california, your answer would be a paper bag. in the eastern united states, you would call it a paper sack; but in the area of pittsburgh, pennsylvania, you would call it a poke! another example: for dinner, do you like to eat green beans, string beans, or snap beans? they are, in fact, the same thing, but each name is used in different geographical areas. as you can see, in north america differences in the names of objects are determined by geography and not by social or economic class as they are in some other countries.
i want to say, in conclusion, that i have given you just a handful of examples of regional differences in pronunciation, grammar, and vocabulary in the united states and canada. there are naturally hundreds of such differences. but in spite of these differences, north americans do not have much trouble understanding one another, even if they come from places that are as far apart as, say, the northern part of canada and south texas. the linguistic differences are simply not great enough to interfere with our ability to communicate with one another.
question no.16. which of the following statements best summarizes the lecture?
question no.17 which group of people add an / r / sound to many vowels?
question no.18 which of the following statements is true concerning the grammar of english spoken in north america?
question no.19 what determines vocabulary differences in north american english?
question no.20. what is meant by “standard english”, according to this lecture?
section 4: listening test
part a: note-taking and gap-filling
directions: in this part of the test, you will hear a short talk. you will hear the talk only once. while listening to the talk, you may take notes on the important points so that you can have enough information to complete a gap-filling task on a separate answer booklet. you are required to write one word or figure only in each blank. you will not get your answer booklet until after you have listened to the talk. now listen to the talk carefully.
let's imagine that an american businessman has to go to paris on a business trip. on the morning of the trip he gets into his single-seat car that gets more than a hundred per gallon. he drives it into an automated, moving traffic lane that takes him directly to a “railport,” or train station. he leaves his car there and gets on a train that travels at three hundred miles per hour. within a few minutes, he arrives at the airport. he and a thousand other passengers get on a plane that is made almost entirely of plastic.
computers control the plane, which travels at supersonic speed, so our businessman is in paris in less than three hours.
does this description sound fantastic to you? well, according to transportation experts, we can expect many changes in transportation technology in the twenty-first century. all the forms of transportation that we use today will still be popular, but they will be very different in design, materials, and technology. in today's lecture, we're going to look at how these familiar modes of transportation will change in the next fifty to a hundred years.
naturally, we will start by talking about the automobile, which will still be the most important method of getting around just as it is toady. but of course, we can expect many improvements. first of all, our cars will become totally electronic. they will routinely “talk” to us, reminding us to turn off our lights, get gas, or fix something. of course, every car will have a telephone. in addition, the cars of the future will be smaller and more economical. we will probably continue to use gasoline for fuel at least until the end of the century, but gasoline mileage will probably go up to seventy-five or one hundred miles per gallon.
besides the car, several other well-known methods of transportation will be very important for traveling in cities. first, many people will use subways and other rapid transit systems, even though they will be expensive. second, bus service will increase. the new buses will look different from today's and will be able to carry up to a hundred and fifty people. during rush hours, they will travel in special bus lanes or maybe even on separate roads especially for buses. third, for short trips, there will be many “people moves.” these are sidewalks that move at ten or fifteen miles per hour. in fact, they already exist today in many modern airports.
now, for long-distance traveling between cities, buses will still be the cheapest way, but they will probably be more comfortable than they are today. imagine a bus with sleeper seats, video games, movies, and even meal service. buses will change a lot, but trains will change even more. for one thing, they will be extremely fast. trains of the future will not travel on rails as they do today; instead, they will move above the tracks, which will allow them to go as fast as two hundred and fifty or three hundred miles per hour. with such a train, a trip between milwaukee, wisconsin, and chicago, illinois, would take just half an hour. in the twenty-first century, people will easily be able to live in one state and work in another.
we can conclude that land transportation will be faster and more comfortable than it is today. what about air travel? first the airplanes of the future will be made of plastic. as a result, they will be quieter, faster, cleaner, and more economical. thy will also be larger, carrying up to a thousand people. planes will all have computers as pilots, although there will sleeping arrangements will be more comfortable than they are today. in addition, each passenger will have a private t. v. set in the back of the seat in front of him.
with all these improvements in transportation systems, we can predict that in the twenty-first century, people will travel more often and farther than they do now. our world will become a smaller place, and there will probably be much more contact between people from different cultures than there is today.
part b: listening and translation
Ⅰ. sentence translation
directions: in this part of the test, you will hear 5 english sentences. you will hear the sentences only once. after you have heard each sentence, translate it into chinese and write your version in the corresponding space in your answer booklet. now let s begin part b with sentence translation.
sentence no.1. could we have a quick word about the sales conference? i'd like to see everything will be ok by the end of this month.
sentence no.2. women in china now receive equal pay for equal work and ninety percent of all chinese women work as truck drivers, scientists and most other traditionally “male” jobs.
sentence no.3. until the twentieth century, the maj ority of blacks lived in the southern part of the united states. thus, prejudice against blacks is often associated with the south.
sentence no.4. in 1997, the number of poor whites increased to 11.5%, while 28% of black families were considered poor and received food coupons regularly.
sentence no.5. people in this age group have to borrow money to pay for houses or apartment, and they also spend a lot of money on furniture and appliances.
Ⅱ. passage translation
directions: in this part of the test, you will hear 2 english passages. you will hear the passages only once. after you have heard each passage, translate it into chinese and write your version in the corresponding space in your answer booklet. you may take notes while you are listening. now let's begin passage translation with the first passage.
passage 1:
we americans are incredibly lazy. instead of cooking a simple, nourishing meal, we pop a frozen dinner into the oven. instead of studying a daily newspaper, we are contented with the capsule summaries on the network news. worst of all, instead of walking even a few blocks to the local convenience store, we jump into our cars. this dependence on the automobile, even for short trips, has robbed us of the valuable experience of walking. if we drove less and walked more, we would save money, become healthier, and discover fascinating things about our surroundings.
passage 1:
physical activity is for kids. adults don t have time to hit a baseball or run around a field, or to do aerobics and lift weights in a gym. they have to earn a living, raise, raise families, and save money for retirement. they can leave exercise to their children. i firmly believed this until one morning, when, late for work, i ran after a bus. my heart pounded; my lungs gasped; my head swam. then, i realized i wouldn't be around to do my job, support my family, or enjoy retirement unless i got into the habit of doing something physical to maintain my health. regular exercise can rejuvenate your body, refresh your mind, and broaden your interests.
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