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.
the earth's moon, which has always been an object of worship and mystery to people of all cultures and religions, is located an average of 239,000 miles from the earth. it has a diameter of 2,136 miles, and its gravity is _________ (1) that of the earth's. scientists know that the moon, as well as the sun, affects _________ (2). it is also possible that the moon is related to _________ (3). but today we are going to discuss another fascinating question with respect to the moon. does it _________ (4)?
to begin with, many observers say that the _________ (5) definitely affect the behaviour of animals. for example, fishermen know that fish are _________ (6), depending on that stage the moon is in. but what about people? carl sagan, the _________ (7), says, “i have no doubt the moon _________ (8) on human behaviour. ”there are stories in almost every society about people who do _________ (9) things during the time of the full moon, which comes approximately every twenty-nine days. is there _________ (10)?
in los angeles, some members of the _________ (11) departments agree that the full moon is associated with more _________ (12). according to the fire department, the highest number of _________ (13) occurs on two occasions: when _________ (14) are distributed and when the moon is full.
a los angeles police sergeant named bob kenney _________ (15) that the full moon has some effects on people, though he agrees that is _________ (16). still, according to the los angeles times of january 20, _________ (17), he says that most of the police officers he knows believe that there is a connection between _________ (18).
many airline pilots, waitresses, bartenders, and newspaper reporters, all of whom _________(19) the public, agree that people behave oddly during periods of the full moon, though they can't _________ (20) how or why it happens.
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) advertising an apartment in a newspaper.
(b) the furnishing of an apartment.
(c) the renting of an apartment.
(d) the renovating of an apartment.
2. (a) two. (b) three. (c) four. (d) five.
3. (a) more then 500 dollars. (b) a bit more than 400 dollars.
(c) 35 to 40 dollars. (d) around 50 dollars.
4. (a) around five-thirty this afternoon.
(b) tomorrow morning.
(c) sometime next week.
(d) it's not mentioned in the talk.
5. (a) the apartment rent includes heat and electricity.
(b) there is an elevator in the apartment building.
(c) the building isjust behind the shopping centre.
(d) tenants are not allowed to keep pets.
questions 6 to 10 are based on the following news.
6. (a) because palestine is not happy about the peace deal proposed by the us.
(b) because israel has refused to accept the u.s. deal.
(c) because a fresh explosion of violence has broken out in middle east.
(d) because the israeli government is under severe criticism from the opposition.
7. (a) to disrupt a meeting of world trade leaders.
(b) to protest against the free trade policy of the government.
(c) to defend themselves against police violence.
(d) to demand that the arrested protester be released.
8. (a) more than 3.3. billion u.s. dollars.
(b) around 1.3 billion u.s. dollars.
(c) 70 million u.s. dollars.
(d) 80 million u.s. dollars.
9. (a) the present mayor of paris. (b) the former paris mayor.
(c) a former paris city hall employee. (d) president jacques chirac.
10. (a) two paintings by cezanne.
(b) three paintings by impressionist masters.
(c) four valuable ancient pictures by unknown painters.
(d) five paintings by van gogh.
questions 11 to 15 are based on the following interview.
11. (a) the manager of a well-known theatrical company.
(b) a british council staff member.
(c) one of the singers touring abroad.
(d) one member of the airport security staff.
12. (a) rome. (b) katmandu. (c) dehli. (d) tokyo.
13. (a) one of the singers was lost a delhi.
(b) their travelling documents were missing at cairo.
(c) the flight case was sent to the wrong place.
(d) their luggage was partially damaged at heathrow airport.
14. (a) it had been stolen.
(b) it had been kept at heathrow airport.
(c) it had been dispatched to bangkok.
(d) it had been sent to tokyo.
15. (a) they decided to wait for the equipment to arrive.
(b) they postponed the whole schedule.
(c) they cancelled the first concert.
(d) they borrowed musical instruments and costumes.
questions 16 to 20 are based on the following talk.
16. (a) 6 to 9 hours. (b) no more than 9 hours.
(c) 12 to 18 hours. (d) over 20 hours.
17. (a) science majors stay longer hours in the classroom.
(b) science majors do more reading and writing.
(c) science majors pay more money for their education.
(d) science majors take more difficult examinations.
18. (a) two.
(b) three.
(c) four.
(d) the number varies from subject to subject.
19. (a) a research paper can substitute for an exam.
(b) many exams are take-home projects.
(c) most exams consist of both objective and essay questions.
(d) some exams have additional questions for outstanding students.
20. (a) to ask his professor in class.
(b) to seek help from a student affairs consultant.
(c) to visit his instructor only during regular office hours.
(d) to make an appointment to see his teacher immediately.
sectlon 2: readlng 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
a surprise delay in slapping extra tax on cigarettes could cost the exchequer a packet — of more than &600m in lost revenues.
but customs and excise said yesterday that the decision to stall for more than seven months the extra 21p duty and tax on 20 cigarettes was a “hangover” from the old november budgets, when kenneth clarks had increased tobacco duty from 1 december.
similarly, cordon brown, the chancellor of the exchequer, had held back the increase in drink— a penny on a pint of beer and 4p on a bottle of wine — until new year's day, 1999.
that timing had been settled by mr. clarks in his november budget because he had not wished to be dubbed a “scrooge”for putting extra duties on drink in time for christmas.
but the distinction between the immediate, overnight increase in petrol duty, and the extra “holiday” for tobacco, will disturb the health lobby.
december's increase in duty amounts to 5 per cent in real terms — over and above inflation —because “the government maintains its commitment to protecting health”.
last year's july budget increase was also stalled until december, and it was estimated that in addition to “lost”revenue of &300m, the chancellor had handed the manufacturers ample time to maximise production and profits in advance of the tax hike.
a spokesman for customs and excise yesterday played down any suggestion of lost revenue. treasury calculations show a remorselessly steady increase in the tax “take”from tobacco; up from &8bn in 1996-97 to &8.9bn in the coming year.
but the yield from next december's increase in duty will be &25m for the rest of the new financial year — compared with a full year yield of &710m in 1999-2000.
as for any suggestion of profiteering on the back of the delayed increase, customs and excise said that there was always stockpiling of cigarettes and tobacco in advance of a tax increase. “that is what happens every year, anyway, ”the spokesman said. “that is a fact of life.”
but john carlisle, the former conservative mp who now works for the tobacco manufacturers' association, told the independent that the delayed increase in duty was “a sort of crumb of comfort for me and my industry, and the poor smoker”
“like last year, it seems to be creating a precedent as to the time the duty goes up, but from our point of view it won't make any difference to the basic problem; that the smuggler will be delighted by the news that the price is going up by that amount in the future.”
he said there were limits on how much the manufacturers could produce and stockpile. “yes, there is always stockpiling by retailers, but they have to pay the full price, and therefore cannot do all that much. ”there was also a certain amount of stockpiling by smokers, too.
but he added: “probably it pushes consumption up a bit because people tend to store stuff and if it's there, they are tempted to smoke it.”
(this article was published in march, 1998.)
1.which of the following best expresses the main idea of the passage?
(a) the relationship between production and consumption of tobacco.
(b) the significance of the timing of tobacco tax increase.
(c) the relationship between lost revenues and the delay of tobacco tax increase.
(d) the effects of the delaying of tobacco tax increase.
2. the phrase “played down” in the sentence “a spokesman for customs and excise yesterday played down any suggestion of lost revenue.”(para. 8) can be replaced by _________.
(a) laid emphasis on (b) paid no attention to
(c) reduced the significance of (d) spoke highly of
3. the spokesman's statement “that is a fact of life.”(para. 10) means which of the following?
(a) people smoke more cigarettes in advance of a tax increase.
(b) smugglers are pleased with the news of tobacco tax increase.
(c) people store more cigarettes and tobacco before a tax increase.
(d) manufacturers produce more cigarettes and tobacco before tax is increased.
4. it can concluded from the passage that john carlisle _________.
(a) fully supports the delayed increase in tobacco tax
(b) thinks the news of delayed increase in tax is welcome
(c) is against the decision to delay tax increase
(d) is indifferent to the timing of tax increase
5. which of the following is not true according to the passage?
(a) the rate of tax increase for tobacco, drink and petrol will be the same.
(b) the delayed increase in tobacco tax will cost the government a huge loss of revenue.
(c) the timing to tobacco and drink tax increase can be more sensitive than that of petrol tax increase.
(d) the decision to delay the increase of tobacco tax will arouse much concern among some people.
questions 6～10
positive effects of the government's welfare-to-work policies could be “swamped”by worsening poverty among people who remain dependent on benefits, ministers are today warned.
a report for the joseph rowntree foundation says that pensioners, lone parents with preschool children and some long-term sick and disabled people will grow relatively poorer if the government continues to raise benefits only in line with prices.
the report, by john hills of the london school of economics, updates the 1995 findings of an inquiry into income and wealth, set up by the foundation.
professor hills says the income gap between rich and poor, which had widened greatly during the 1980s, started to narrow under the premiership of john major. but it could widen again if the real value of earnings accelerated away from the real value of prices-linked benefits.
in terms of the numbers living with low incomes relative to the average, this effect could swamp all of the positive effects of the other initiatives.
“in some sense, what we may see is a race between the positive effects of measures to increase incomes from work at the bottom, including lower unemployment, and the negative effects of falling relative incomes for those remaining largely dependent on benefits.”
the report throws into stark relief how the growth of income inequality in the 1980s — when the poorest tenth of the population suffered a net cut in real income — contrasts with trends both before and since.
during the 1960s and 1970s, and again after 1992, the poorest groups fared best. the reversion to this pattern under mr. major is attributed to tax changes and the fact that economic growth fed into falling unemployment rather than higher real earnings.
but the gap between rich and poor which opened in the 1980s had so far narrowed only marginally. “even if we continue that rate of progress, it will take more than a decade to get back to where we were in the 1970s.”
moreover, a resumption of rapid growth in real earnings would set back even the slight progress that had been made — unless benefits were raised by more than prices.
the report was written before the budget, which included an extra increase in benefit rates for families with young children. ministers have also promised future real increases in benefits for severely disabled people.
but the phasing out of benefit premiums for lone parents is hitting one of the biggest groups of people relying on social security.
sir peter barclays, the foundation's chairman, said it was vital that the government took advantage of the “breathing space”created by the halt in the growth of inequality. ministers were acting on many of the original inquiry's recommendations, particularly in terms of helping working families.
“but it remains to be seen whether the government will follow through with other initiatives to help other low-income groups, including pensioners.”six peter said.
professor hills, who is head of the lse's center for analysis of social exclusion, is calling on the government to set explicit targets for tackling poverty in addition to the 32 indicators proposed in last week's welfare reform green paper. “given that so much of the emphasis of government policy is towards the reduction of poverty, it would be useful if the government was to nail its colours to the mast and set itself some kind of target.”
the foundation has commissioned the new policy institute to develop a model poverty audit. a report is due in the autumn.
6. the word “swamped”used in the first paragraph can be replaced by which of the following?
(a) greatly heightened (b) much weakened
(c) largely consolidated (d) totally counteracted
7. according to the passage, the income gap between rich and poor could widen again as _________.
(a) the unemployment rate is lowered
(b) the increase of benefits is independent of price increase
(c) the income tax rate is increasing
(d) the increase of benefits is only based on prices
8. the expression “fared best”in the sentence “during the 1960s and 1970s, and again after 1992, the poorest groups fared best.”(para. 8) can be paraphrased by which of the following?
(a) obtained higher income (b) lived a better life
(c) enjoyed more equality (d) paid lower income tax
9. the expression “phasing-out ”in the sentence “but the phasing-out of benefit premiums for lone parents is hitting one of the biggest groups of people relying on social security. ”(para.12) can best be replaced by _________.
(a) gradual withdrawal (b) slow continuation
(c) large increase (d) sudden stoppage
10.which of the following best expresses the main idea of the passage?
(a) the extra increase in benefit rates for families with young children is more important than other issues.
(b) to reduce poverty, the most important thing is to lower unemployment.
(c) to narrow the gap between rich and poor, the benefit rates should be raised higher than inflation rate.
(d) the government's welfare reform programme has met strong criticism and opposition.
questions 11～15
astronomers have witnessed the biggest bang since the big bang — the moment about 15 billion years ago when the universe was created in a massive explosion.
the huge burst of energy from the edge of the universe is estimated to the second only to the moment of creation in its explosive fore, releasing more energy in two seconds than the sun will give out in its lifetime.
scientists hope the explosion — known as a gamma-ray burst because it emits energy in the form of gamma radiation — will shed light on the earliest stages in the evolution of the stars and galaxies.
gamma-ray bursts cannot be seen by the human eye but if they could the sky would light up like a camera flash each time they occurred. they are by far the most energetic events in the universe and, until now, have remained largely a mystery.
the latest gamma-ray burst to be detected accurately occurred last december. using a network of telescopes and satellites, the astronomers were able to calculate its distance from earth at about 15 billion light years. this means it must have happened soon after the big bang itself, while the intensity of the radiation revealed it to be the biggest bang recorded by man. scientists from the american national aeronautics and space administration and the california institute of technology are to announce details of their analysis this week.
the huge distance between the source of the explosion and the earth suggests gamma-ray bursts are up to 10 times larger than previously thought, said jonathan katz, professor of physics at washington university in st louis.
“gamma-ray bursts may be the most distant things we will ever see and as such will act as beacons to probe into the very distant regions of the universe when stars and galaxies were first formed.”
american spy satellites looking for the radiation released from soviet nuclear tests first detected gamma-ray bursts in 1967 but the details were kept classified until 1973.
for nearly 25 years scientists were hampered in their efforts to find an explanation for the huge explosions because they lasted no longer than a few seconds.
the inability to explain them led to speculation that gamma-ray bursts were the remnants of nuclear battles between alien civilisations, or even the exhaust energy of extraterrestrial spaceships going into warp drive.
two satellite, the american compton gamma-ray observatory and the italian-dutch bepposax satellite, have now been able to locate the precise direction of gamma-ray bursts within seconds of them occurring.
john quenby, professor of physics at imperial college of science, technology and medicine in london, said the most likely explanation for gamma-ray bursts is that they result from the enormous energy released when two very dense objects— called neutron stars — collide.
(this article was published in may, 1998.)
11. according to the passage, “the big bang”is used to express all of the following except _________.
(a) the huge energy burst which created the universe
(b) the energy burst which took place in the center of the universe
(c) the explosion which took place in the form of gamma radiation
(d) the explosion which happened about 15 billion years ago.
12. according to the passage gamma-ray bursts _________.
(a) were detected accidentally
(b) were first detected by soviet unclear experts
(c) were made known to the public after 1973
(d) were soon given clear and detailed explanation
13. it can be concluded from the passage that the study of the big bang will probably _________.
(a) lead to the discovery of earliest human civilisations
(b) tell how and when the universe was formed
(c) display the intensity of nuclear radiation
(d) make it possible to communicate with other civilisations
14. which of the following is not directly stated but can be inferred from the passage?
(a) gamma-ray explosion is very, very far away from the earth.
(b) scientists believe that the universe was formed out of the big bang.
(c) gamma-ray bursts lasted only a very short period of time.
(d) scientists are still working hard to find more plausible explanations for the big bang.
15. which of the following can be used as the best title of the passage?
(a) gamma-ray bursts and nuclear wars between alien civilisations.
(b) astronomy and the creation of universe.
(c) big bang theory explains the mystery of universe.
(d) big bang ii sheds light on evolution of universe.
questions 16～20
lloyds tsb, the uk's biggest high street bank, is being forced to withdraw a memo which orders its branch staff not to switch customers into accounts that would pay them higher rates of interest.
the bank will today write to every one of its 2,600 branches to “clarify”the contents of an internal memo, which tells staff it is “unacceptable”to inform current account customers that they could make better returns by shifting spare cash into accounts with higher returns.
the average balance in a lloyds tsb account is understood to be 2,000 and if half of every balance was moved into an alternative instant access account operated by lloyds the bank would have to pay an estimated &160 million in additional interest in a year.
lloyds, which has 7 million customers and last year made more than &3 billion profit, pays 0.3 per cent interest on its current account. its instant access account offers 3.4 per cent.
the memo told staff they could lose out on incentive scheme rewards — including cash bonuses and foreign holidays — if they were caught switching cash out of low interest accounts.
a spokeswoman for lloyds tsb said the memo, entitled key sales and service objectives, was designed to improve service levels and had been “quoted out of context”.
it was written by mike mitchell, the bank's national sales manager, and circulated in january. it was designed to stop its staff opening new accounts merely to receive incentive scheme points.
staff are allowed, however, to make other suggestions to customers, including selling them financial services such as unit trust investments and private health insurance, which generate substantial profits for the bank.
branch workers who successfully sell such products receive incentive scheme rewards, directly related to how much profit the bank makes from them.
the bank's spokeswoman said: “the spirit of this memo, of putting customers first, has been obfuscated by sentences which are meant to say one thing but may be interpreted as saying another. ”
in some cases, she claimed, those with high sums to invest can get better returns from their existing current accounts because the interest rate rises as the balance goes up.
but she admitted that the memo tells staff that all current account switches “must be initiated by the customer”, and that staff are not allowed to advise customers their money might earn better returns in alternative accounts.
the only time such suggestions can be made, says the memo, is in a formal one-to-one interview with the customer.
the bank insisted that the memo was designed to improve customer service, but it has angered branch staff, who believe they are being ordered not to operate in the customers' best interests.
the lloyds' spokeswoman added; “we agree that this memo may be misinterpreted.”
the bank's deputy chief executive. michael fairley, has intervened and will be rewriting the memo.
16. according to the passage, lloyds tsb is going to withdraw its internal memo circulated in january because _________.
(a) it has been made known to the general public
(b) it has been opposed by its customers
(c) it is misinterpreted by its branch staff
(d) it is considered against customers' best interests
17. the spokeswoman for lloyds tsb's comment that the memo had been “quoted out of context”could be considered _________.
(a) a confession of the bank's malpractice
(b) a guarantee of improvement of the bank's service
(c) a response to criticisms of the memo
(d) a him to withdraw and rewrite the memo
18. it can be concluded from the passage that according to the memo, the branch staff _________.
(a) will get no cash bonuses if they sell private health insurance to customers
(b) will receive no incentive scheme rewards if found shifting customers cash into higher interest accounts
(c) cannot make any suggestions in a formal one-to-one interview with customers
(d) shall never tell customers the interest rates of different accounts
19. the word “obfuscated”used in paragraph 10 can be replaced by which of the following?
(a) clarified (b) strengthened
(c) obscured (d) weakened
20. according to the passage, all of the following are true except that _________.
(a) the interest rate of an instant access account is higher than that of a current account
(b) the interest rate can rise as the balance in an account goes up to a certain level
(c) the memo does not allow account switches initiated by customers
(d) the memo encourages bank workers to sell more financial services to customers
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.
the earth's moon, which has always been an object of worship and mystery to people of all cultures and religions, is located an average of 239,000 miles from the earth. it has a diameter of 2,136 miles, and its gravity is _________ (1) that of the earth's. scientists know that the moon, as well as the sun, affects _________ (2). it is also possible that the moon is related to _________ (3). but today we are going to discuss another fascinating question with respect to the moon. does it _________ (4)?
to begin with, many observers say that the _________ (5) definitely affect the behaviour of animals. for example, fishermen know that fish are _________ (6), depending on that stage the moon is in. but what about people? carl sagan, the _________ (7), says, “i have no doubt the moon _________ (8) on human behaviour. ”there are stories in almost every society about people who do _________ (9) things during the time of the full moon, which comes approximately every twenty-nine days. is there _________ (10)?
in los angeles, some members of the _________ (11) departments agree that the full moon is associated with more _________ (12). according to the fire department, the highest number of _________ (13) occurs on two occasions: when _________ (14) are distributed and when the moon is full.
a los angeles police sergeant named bob kenney _________ (15) that the full moon has some effects on people, though he agrees that is _________ (16). still, according to the los angeles times of january 20, _________ (17), he says that most of the police officers he knows believe that there is a connection between _________ (18).
many airline pilots, waitresses, bartenders, and newspaper reporters, all of whom _________(19) the public, agree that people behave oddly during periods of the full moon, though they can't _________ (20) how or why it happens.
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) advertising an apartment in a newspaper.
(b) the furnishing of an apartment.
(c) the renting of an apartment.
(d) the renovating of an apartment.
2. (a) two. (b) three. (c) four. (d) five.
3. (a) more then 500 dollars. (b) a bit more than 400 dollars.
(c) 35 to 40 dollars. (d) around 50 dollars.
4. (a) around five-thirty this afternoon.
(b) tomorrow morning.
(c) sometime next week.
(d) it's not mentioned in the talk.
5. (a) the apartment rent includes heat and electricity.
(b) there is an elevator in the apartment building.
(c) the building isjust behind the shopping centre.
(d) tenants are not allowed to keep pets.
questions 6 to 10 are based on the following news.
6. (a) because palestine is not happy about the peace deal proposed by the us.
(b) because israel has refused to accept the u.s. deal.
(c) because a fresh explosion of violence has broken out in middle east.
(d) because the israeli government is under severe criticism from the opposition.
7. (a) to disrupt a meeting of world trade leaders.
(b) to protest against the free trade policy of the government.
(c) to defend themselves against police violence.
(d) to demand that the arrested protester be released.
8. (a) more than 3.3. billion u.s. dollars.
(b) around 1.3 billion u.s. dollars.
(c) 70 million u.s. dollars.
(d) 80 million u.s. dollars.
9. (a) the present mayor of paris. (b) the former paris mayor.
(c) a former paris city hall employee. (d) president jacques chirac.
10. (a) two paintings by cezanne.
(b) three paintings by impressionist masters.
(c) four valuable ancient pictures by unknown painters.
(d) five paintings by van gogh.
questions 11 to 15 are based on the following interview.
11. (a) the manager of a well-known theatrical company.
(b) a british council staff member.
(c) one of the singers touring abroad.
(d) one member of the airport security staff.
12. (a) rome. (b) katmandu. (c) dehli. (d) tokyo.
13. (a) one of the singers was lost a delhi.
(b) their travelling documents were missing at cairo.
(c) the flight case was sent to the wrong place.
(d) their luggage was partially damaged at heathrow airport.
14. (a) it had been stolen.
(b) it had been kept at heathrow airport.
(c) it had been dispatched to bangkok.
(d) it had been sent to tokyo.
15. (a) they decided to wait for the equipment to arrive.
(b) they postponed the whole schedule.
(c) they cancelled the first concert.
(d) they borrowed musical instruments and costumes.
questions 16 to 20 are based on the following talk.
16. (a) 6 to 9 hours. (b) no more than 9 hours.
(c) 12 to 18 hours. (d) over 20 hours.
17. (a) science majors stay longer hours in the classroom.
(b) science majors do more reading and writing.
(c) science majors pay more money for their education.
(d) science majors take more difficult examinations.
18. (a) two.
(b) three.
(c) four.
(d) the number varies from subject to subject.
19. (a) a research paper can substitute for an exam.
(b) many exams are take-home projects.
(c) most exams consist of both objective and essay questions.
(d) some exams have additional questions for outstanding students.
20. (a) to ask his professor in class.
(b) to seek help from a student affairs consultant.
(c) to visit his instructor only during regular office hours.
(d) to make an appointment to see his teacher immediately.
section 4: translation 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 in each blank. you will not get your answer booklet until after you have listened to the talk.
the american work force is changing. the most important change is from a _________ (1) economy to a _________ (2) economy. generally, service jobs are divided into _________ (3) types. one, transportation and _________ (4) companies, like the phone company. two, _________ (5) companies. three, _________ (6) companies. four, finance, _________ (7) and real estate companies. and finally, five, _________ (8) services, such as hotels, car repair, _________ (9) and medicine. economists predict that by the year 2000 _________ (10)% of the work force will be part of the service economy.
then what are the causes for such a change? first, american manufacturing industries are not _________ (11) because they are faced with _________ (12) from other parts of the world.
secondly, because of technological advances, _________ (13), accounting and other business services have become important.
thirdly, more _________ (14) are now having jobs and this has increased the need for _________ (15) and day-care centres. and finally, the number of _________ (16) people has grown, so have _________ (17) services.
but, according to some economists, the service job explosion may create problems. the standard of living might _________ (18) because half of the service jobs pay _________ (19) wages.
the other problem is that some service jobs give a worker very little _________ (20).
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 you 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 you answer booklet. you may take notes while you are listening.
(1)___________________________________________________________________________
(2)___________________________________________________________________________
questions 1～3
federal officials announced yesterday a $3 million grant program that will allow low-income high school students in 32 states — including maryland and virginia — to take advanced placement tests next year without having to pay the $52 cost for each exam.
the federal aid, combined with state and local subsidies, is enough to cover all the low income students in those states who take the college-level tests, officials said. their estimate was based on the number of low-income students who took ap tests last year.
the district and the other 18 states did not apply for the grant, federal officials said. a.d.c. schools spokeswoman said she did not know why the district has not applied.
ap classes are high school versions of college-level courses, and most colleges give credit to students who do well on the end-of-course exam. the ap program offers 31 tests in 18 subjects.
“i am convinced that the advanced placement program is an important tool in the fight to raise standards in our schools and help defray the cost of college,”said sen. jeff bingaman (d-n.m.), who won congressional approval for the program in the fall. “we need to do everything possible to expand this program to more schools and make sure cost does not stand in the way of any student who wants to take an ap exam. ”
fairfax county school superintendent daniel a. domenech, who was with bingaman at the capitol hill news conference announcing the grants, said the federal aid will make it easier for fairfax to implement its new requirement that all students in ap courses take the corresponding tests. he said he expects the school board to approve a $1.1 million appropriation that would make the tests free for most or all country students, regardless of income.
students will be eligible for the federal grant if they qualify for federal school lunch subsidies. in 1997, 900,000 ap tests were taken — 72,000 by low-income students. the exams are administered by the college board, which charged students $74 for each test last year, or $52 for those who qualify for school lunch subsidies.
fairfax is one of the few school districts to require that all students enrolled in ap courses take the corresponding exams. in most washington area districts, many students decide to enroll in the courses without taking the exams because of the fee and because they will automatically boost their grade-point average simply by completing an ap course. supporters of an exam requirement say it means students will work harder and get more out of the classes.
kathleen wills, assistant director of planning for arlington county schools, said the federal grant will make it easier for teachers to require students to take the tests, but she was not sure the arlington district would follow fairfax in making a blanket requirement.
some washington area teachers in the international baccalaureate program, which provides college-level courses in about 300 u.s. schools, said they also could use federal support.
“it is sort of like the federal government funding mcdonald's but not burger king,”said bill bixby, the ib coordinator at stonewall jackson high in prince william county.
1. what do you know about advanced placement program and tests from the passage?
2. according to the passage, what kind of students can receive federal grant for ap tests? why are students encouraged to take ap tests?
3. explain bill bixby's statement “it is sort of like the federal government funding mcdonald's but not burger king”(last paragraph)?
questions 4～6
ministers face a showdown with their nature advisers today over the fate of wildlife areas where damage may be allowed for the sake of cheaper water bills.
english nature has identified 79 sites of special scientific interest (sssis) that are being sucked dry by over abstraction or are being polluted by effluent from treatment works. it says that the water industry has a legal obligation to stop the damage, find alternative water sources and fund improvements at treatment works to protect the rivers, fenland and wetland areas and their rich range of wildlife.
however, the sites have become part of the price review by ian byatt, the water regulator, which will set customer bills for 2000 to 2005. environmental improvements are widely believed to be one area where savings can be made.
water companies drawing up spending plans have been advised by the environment agency that only special-interest sites of european quality need to be seriously considered. officials admitted yesterday that the guidance had come after pressure from whitehall.
david withrington, senior freshwater officer a english nature, said that meant only about nine of the 79 sites would be saved, with the rest continuing to face harm with no real improvement in customers' bills. bnglish nature calculates that saving all the sites would cost about &200 million, or just 1 per cent of the water companies' planned spending.
the dispute will come to a head today at a conference in london organised by english nature and the royal society for the protection of birds to be attended by michael meacher, the environment minister, mr. byatt and representatives from consumer and water industry groups.
mr. withrington said yesterday: “it seems that the choice about sites should be helped and which ones are less important has been based more on what are seen to be the government's obligations under european directives, whereas we believe there is a clear duty under the water industry act 1991 for companies to tackle all sites, sssis and those with european listing. ”
sarah fowler. of the rspb, said yesterday that improving the standard of watery wildlife sites should be a priority, rather than allowing them to become marginalised during the price review: “schemes to protect wildlife sites were omitted from previous review of 1990-99 in favour of schemes under the bathing waters directive, the urban waste water treatment directive and directives on drinking water. ”
ms fowler said that damage to special sites was playing a role in the decline of water-loving species. over the past 25 years, lapwings have declined by 38 per cent, reed buntings by 60 per cent and black-tailed godwits by 31 per cent. english nature is to reaffirm its advice that all sites, whether of international or national significance, are covered under the water industry act 1991. it will also urge the public to write to mps, asking them to put pressure on the government and the regulator to protect all wildlife sites hit by overabstraction or sewage effluent pollution.
4. what are the sites of special scientific interest (sssis)? what is happening to sssis?
5. what is the major dispute over sssis?
6. give a brief summary of sarah fowler's view towards wildlife protection.
questions 7～10
radio 4 is facing the wrath of the literary world over claims that it is abandoning its commitment to the short story.
schedule changes imposed by james boyle, controller of the station, mean regular short-story readings could disappear next year and writers are complaining that more stories are being rejected.
the daily short story, which goes out at 4.45pm, is a valuable platform for up-and-coming writers who often get their first break there. distinguished authors such as john mortimer and fay weldon have been contributing to the slot for 20 years. writers, who regard the short story as the cinderella of the publishing world, cherish it as their main radio showcase.
from april, short story will disappear, but mr. boyle has assured writers that there will be a new slot at 3:45p.m. insiders, however, say that new draft schedules show that the new programme will be “miscellaneous” in content and no longer dedicated to short stories. executives have been told not to commission any more stories for it because “the tab is full”.
there are also plans to use the slot to broadcast this sceptr'd isle, a contemporary history series, when it is feared the short story could disappear.
“this was the only dedicated broadcast platform for short stories in this country, ”said the source. “it was crucial for bringing on new writers and without it we are lost.”
the writer's guild and the society of authors will raise their concerns at a meeting with mr. boyle next week. jonathan myerson, of the writer's guild, said: “we are tearing our hair out. short story is the last of a one-off, the only place where new, one-off material could be aired. for the first time i think the bbc's radio drama department is feeling like the writers have been feeling for the past three years. you submit ideas, they get rejected and no one tells you why. there is no nurturing going on any more.”
radio 4 receives 15,000 unsolicited short stories a year, only a fraction of which can be used. but the bbc's service of reading the work and writing back to authors is greatly valued. insiders believe that, because the work is so labour-intensive, it is being wound down to save money.
writers are already displeased that woman's hour is to lose its reading slot, which will be replaced by a drama serial from april.
a bbc source said: “morale is low in that department because no one can get a straight answer about what is happening to short stories. apparently they have been told no more work is needed, but very little has been commissioned from april 1998 so the feeling is it is slowly being wound down. ”
“the only things they seem interested in buying are existing collections because they are easier to commission and don't involve spending time on unsolicited work. and there is very little in the way of short stories in book at bedtime and the late book.”
fay weldon, who has had many short stories broadcast on radio 4, said: “if this is true, it is extremely sad. the bbc has a duty to foster the creative talent of this country and to wind down something like this is an abuse of public trust and confidence. it also misjudges the listeners, who really enjoy short stories on the radio.”
she added that a year ago when she last recorded a short story at radio 4, she noticed that it appeared to have been downgraded. “we were in the oldest studio with the most antiquated equipment, i noticed,”she said.
a spokesman denied that the station was abandoning the short story, adding: “radio 4 will remain the home of new writing. ”
7. what do you know about short story from the passage?
8. what is the response of the literary people towards the schedule changes of short-story readings programme?
9. cite possible reasons from the passage why short story programme will disappear soon.
10.what can we learn from the comment by the author fay weldon?
section 6: translation test (30 minutes)
directions: translate the following passage into english and write your version in the corresponding space in your answer booklet.
我国政府强化了对外贸的控管，强化了商会这类中介机构的服务与协调功能。我们希望继续加强外贸体制的改革，使之逐渐走向竞争，并受到诸如关税、汇率和利率等法律和 经济手段的制约。所有这些都应助于加速中国外贸的国际化进程，为宏观经贸局面的形成创造一个较好的环 。通过促进商贸业、制造业、农业、技术产业和银行之间更为密切的 合作，我们能够为国际市场提供更多、更好的出口产品。在这种情况下，中国自然会成为一个大市场。
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sectlon1: listenlng test (30 minutes)
part a: spot dictation
1. one-sixth /1/6 2. the ocean's tides
3. the occurrence of earthquakes 4. affect our behavior
5. moon's phases 6. easier or harder to catch
7. famous astronomer 8. has an effect
9. strange and unpredictable 10. really a connection
11. police and fire 12. crime an unusual behavior
13. car accidents 14. welfare checks
15. is convinced 16. very hard to prove
17. 1984 18. crime rates and the full moon
19. deal directly with 20. specify exactly
part b: listening comprehension
1-5 c c b a d 6-10 b a a a b
11-15 c b c d d 16-20 c a a c ?
section 2: reading test
1-5 d c c b a 6-10 b d b a c
11-15 b a b d d 6-20 d c b c c
section 3: translation test
英语是一种多么崇高的工具！我们每写下一页，都不可能不对祖国语言的丰富多彩、灵便精深产生一种赞同的喜悦。如果某个 国作家不能用英语，不能用简明的英语说出自 己必须说的话，那么这样的话也许就不值得说。 语没有更广泛地得到学习是何等憾事。我不是在攻击古典教育。凡自命对文学有一丁点鉴赏力的人都不可能对古典教育的吸引力 无动于衷。但我承认，我国目前的教育制度使人忧心忡忡。我无法相信这是一种最佳的制度，甚至无法相信这是一种合理的制度，因为这个制度把那种唯有少数特权人物和天才人物才能欣赏的文学珍品，全数摆在很不情愿且又很不理解的普通大众面前。对公立党校的广大学童来说，古典教育从头至尾是冗长的、毫无意义的、毫无用处的。倘若有人告诉我，古典课程是学习 语的最好准备，那我的回答便是，迄今为止这个准备阶段不完善，它未能收到所承诺的任何成效。
section 4: listening test
part a: note-taking and gap-filling
1. manufacturing 2. service
3. five 4. utility
5. wholesales 6. retail
7. insurance 8. personal
9. accounting 10. ninety
11. growing 12. competition
13. advertising 14. women / females
15. restaurant / dining-room / food 16. old / elderly / aged
17. health-care 18. fall / drop /decrease
19. low 20. security
part b: listening and translation
Ⅰ. sentence translation
1. 销售经理正考虑在这个城里再留几天。
2. 艺术教学主要是鼓励每个学生的想象力，让他们尽可能自由地表达自己的思想。
3. 中国是这位总统四国之行的第一站，他还将访问日本、南朝鲜和菲律宾。
4. 与日本和欧洲各国相比，在每千人拥有的医生数方面，美国遥遥领先。
5. 我将谈谈这个城里发生的道路事故数字，在1995 年到1997 年期间事故数量上下波动很 大。
Ⅱ. passage translation
1. 传统美国家庭由于活挣钱的父亲、当家庭妇女的母亲和两到三个孩子组成。但在近来 20～25 年中，这情景发生了变化。现在除了传统模的家庭外，还有许多不同类型的 家庭。例如，有许多单身母亲或父亲独力扶养孩子；有结婚的夫妇决定不要孩子。有时候已成年的孩子可能又回家与父母同住。有时候你还会发现有些老年人合住一所房子，以节约开支。
2. 如果你因公出差，你最感困难的问题不是语言障碍或飞行时差综合症，而是午餐。每个国家都有不同的习俗，你可马乎不得。 在欧洲南部，午餐休息时间很长。例如在意大利，可能会长达三小时。有些午餐分量比其他地方小。如果你到斯堪的纳维亚，工作午餐就是一份三明治。如果你的主人拒 绝饮酒而只喝牛奶，千万别大惊小怪。不是所有地方都如此有健康意识。美国人总抱怨抽烟喝酒，但在俄罗斯人们在午餐时又抽烟又喝酒。
section 5: reading test
1. the ap program offers college-level courses in high schools. the program offers 31 tests in 18 subjects and the tests are conducted / administered by the college board. and colleges usually give credit to students who pass the ap tests.
2. low-income high school students who receive federal school lunch subsidies can receive such grants. students are encouraged to take the ap tests so that they will work / study harder / more diligently and learn more from ap courses.
3. both mcdonald's and burger king are fast food restaurants and are of the same industry, and bill bixby uses this comparison / simile to express his dissatisfaction with the government's decision. his conclusion is that the international baccalaureate program should also be supported by the federal government / receive the support from the federal government.
4. sssis are sites / areas where precious wildlife / animals / water birds /water-loving species live and where they are / should be protected. much damage is being done to sssis. some are becoming dry because of overabstraction of water, some are being polluted from waste water treatment works and the number and species of wildlife animals / birds living in these areas are declining.
5. the major dispute is whether all sssis should be protected and saved. according to the spending plans of water companies drawn under the government's guidance, only 9 out of the 79 sites would be saved, whereas english nature holds that all sites should be protected and saved.
6. sarah fowler thinks that the damage to wildlife areas has caused the decline of water-loving animals, the improvement of wildlife sites should be given much attention and all wildlife sites should be protected and saved.
7. short story is a well-known / established radio broadcast programme / short story reading programme. both new writers and distinguished authors have contributed to the programme and over the decades the programme have nurtured a number of writers.
8. the literary people are much concerned about the issue as they cherish / love the programme. they oppose such schedule changes and hope the programme will continue.
9. the programme is considered “labour-intensive”as 15000 short stories are received every year and only a small portion will be used. reading of so many stories and writing back to authors need much effort / time and it is planned to be cut to “save money. ”
section 6: translation test
our government has stronger control over foreign trade, and strengthened the service and coordinating functions of such intermediary organizations as chambers of commerce. we hope to continue to strengthen reform in our foreign trade system in order to gradually open foreign trade to competition and to get it under control by both legal means and economic measures, such as tariffs, foreign exchange rates and interest rates. all this should help speed up the internationalization of china's foreign trade and create a better environment for bringing about a macro economic and trade prospect. by promoting a closer cooperation among business and trade communities, manufacturing industries, agriculture, technology industries and banks, we will be able to produce more and better export commodities for the international market. given this situation, china can't help but be a large market.
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.
the earth's moon, which has always been an object of worship and mystery to people of all cultures and religions, is located an average of 239,000 miles from the earth. it has a diameter of 2,136 miles, and its gravity is one-sixth that of earth's. scientists know that the moon, as well as the sun, affects the ocean's tides. it is also possible that the moon is related to the occurrence of earthquakes. but today we are going to discuss another fascinating question with respect to the moon. does it affect our behavior?
to begin with, many observers say that the moon s phases definitely affect the behavior of animals. for example, fishermen know that fish are easier or harder to catch, depending on what stage the moon is in. but what about people? carl sagan, the famous astronomer, says, “i have no doubt the moon has an effect on human behavior. ”there are stories in almost every society about people who do strange and unpredictable things during the time of the full moon, which comes approximately every twenty-nine days. is there really a connection?
in los angeles, some members of the police and fire departments agree that the full moon is associated with more crime and unusual behavior. according to the fire department, the highest number of car accidents occurs on two occasions: when welfare checks are distributed and when the moon is full. a los angeles police sergeant named bob kenney is convinced that the full moon has some effects on people, though he agrees that this is very hard to prove. still, according to the los angeles times of january 20, 1984, he says that most of the police officers he knows believe there is a connection between crime rates and the full moon.
many airline pilots, waitresses, bartenders, and newspaper reporters, all of whom deal directly with the public, agree that people behave oddly during periods of the full moon, though they can't specify exactly how or why it happens.
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. .
questions 1~5 are based on the following conversation
j=jim; b=mrs. benevento
b: hello?
j: hi. um… i'm calling about… uh… the apartment that was advertised in the gazette? is that still available?
b: yes, it is.
j: now, that's a two-bedroom?
b: that's right. it's two bedrooms, a kitchen, a living room, and the living room can also be used as a dining room.
j: uh-huh. uh, what's the rent on that?
b: it's four hundred and twenty-five dollars a month.
j: uh, does that include heat and electricity?
b: no. the tenants have to pay their own utilities.
j: huh. uh, what's…uh…the average cost of utilities, do you know?
b: oh, i guess between thirty-five and forty dollars a month.
j: mm-hmm. uh… do you have…uh…washers and dryers in the building?
b: well, yes. there's good. where we live now is… it's really noisy. i… is this like a fairly quiet building?
j: uh-huh. that's good. where we live now is… it's really noisy. i… is this like a fairly quiet building?
b: oh, yes!well, the neighbors are really considerate, and no pets are allowed.
j: oh, that's good. what floor is the aqartment on?
b: well, it's on the second floor, but there's no elevator. but it's… it's all right. i live on the third floor and i don't mind the stairs. look why don't you just come down and see for yourself?
j: yeah, i'd like to see it, uh…what's the address?
b: forty-four turner drive. north side of highland boulevard.
j: is that close, uh, to highland shopping center?
b: oh, yes. we're only a ten-minute walk away,just a couple of minutes by car.
j: oh, that's great, because i shop there all the time.
b: yeah. well, look… look, it's really a nice apartment. it's got wall-to-wall carpeting and a balcony.
j: it sounds good.
b: well, why don't you drop by this afternoon? ring the bell for apartment thirty-one. i'll come down and get you. oh, and… and bring fifty dollars for a deposit, just in case you decide you want it.
question no.1. what are the man and woman talking about?
question no.2. how many rooms are there in the apartment being talked about?
question no.3. how much is the monthly rent?
question no.4. when will the man go to see the apartment?
question no.5. which of the following statements is true, according to the statements?
questions 6 to 10 are based on the following news
middle east peace-making is in crisis again over the dispute of land hangover. a prolonged deadlock in peace efforts would lead to another explosion of violence.
palestine and israel are now quarreling over the scope of the israeli military withdrawal from the west bank.
the united states has been trying to broker an interim peace deal under which israel would transfer 13 per cent of the west bank to arafat s palestinian authority. arafat has accepted the deal.
but israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu on the grounds of national security, refused to accept the u. s. figure, which is far smaller than the 30 per cent the palestinians originally expected in the oslo peace accord.
police used tear gas overnight to break up rioters in geneva seeking to disrupt a key trade summit expected to issue a resounding commitmet to free trade.
police used tear gas after bands of rioters roaming downtown geneva pelted security forces with stones and smashed shop and restaurant windows in a fresh burst of violence rare in this placid international city, a major private banking hub.
as scores of riot police chased rioters in the plainpalais area, spectators turned up in their hundreds to watch the late night scenes of violence, witnesses said. police spokesman eric grandjean said one protester and a policeman were injured and more than 100 people arrested.
france and germany signed a contract yesterday for 160 tiger fighter helicopters, worth over us $ 3.3 billion. each country will buy 80 choppers manufactured by the franco-german company eurocopter. press reports in april quoted a german defence ministry spokesman as saying production of the helicopters will begin this year for delivery in 2002. eurocopter is a subsidiary of the french group aerospatiale, which has a 70 per cent stake, and of daimler-benz aerospace (dasa) which has 30 per cent.
french fraud investigators questioned a key witness yesterday in a probe into corruption as paris city hall at the time president jacques chirac was mayor. georges quemar, a former city hall personnel manager, was interrogated by the fraud squad for almost three hours. he refused comment on leaving police offices. chirac, paris mayor for 18 years until his election as president in 1995, is the founder of the neo-gaullist rally for the republic (rpr), the largest opposition party which is currently the focus of a string of corruption probes.
professional art thieves stole three maj or paintings by the impressionist masters vincent van gogh and paul cezanne from rome's modern art museum over-night, police said yesterday. three armed and masked men entered the museum's security control room and overpowered three female guards, according to police. after forcing the women to turn off the alarm system and tying them up, the men went straight to room in the museum and helped themselves to “le cabanon de jourdan”.
question no.6. why is the middle east peace-making in crisis again?
question no.7. what were the rioters in geneva seeking to do?
question no.8. how much is the worth of the contract between france and germany for fighter helicopters, according to the news?
question no.9. whom did french fraud investigators question yesterday?
question no.10. what did professional art thieves steal from rome's modern art museum?
question 11 to 15 are based on the following interview
int: you had some troubles on the way to nepal, didn't you.
bs: we certainly did. and you can imagine, a first major, er, far eastern tour, and we were a little bit nervous to say the least about the whole thing. we packed all our gear—we had two of everything, two accordions, two guitars, two this, two that—in a huge flight case, which weighed about a hundred and seventy odd kilos it was. an enormous flight case. and er, we saw it disappear at heathrow airport, and we had to change filghts at delhi, you see, to go on to nepal. and er, when couldn't find anywhere.
int: completely.
bs: yes. absolutely. and er, we made enquiries here and there. and er nobody—no, no. no flight case. nothing like that at all. nothing that big. no. can't be that big, can it? and eventually we gave up. and decided to go on to nepal and get the british council to er, sort the problem out.
int: what were you going to do for instruments?
bs: well. we didn't know. we were absolutely lost and er, there was no point in looking any further in delhi airport, and we didn't know whether it was in london. because you never see anything get on an airliner. london airport is so vast. er, we didn't know-the plane had stopped also at rome. and it stopped at cairo, and delhi. it was going on to bangkok, and then to—off to japan, to tokyo, you see. so we didn't know where this flight case was.
int: any one of six or seven capitals.
bs: that's right. yep. so, eventually we got to katmandu, and er, informed the people there what had happened. and there was telexes flying left, right and center all round the world. and nobody could find this flight case, until about a day and a half later, somebody came across—stumbled over it in a hanger in tokyo airport.
int: gone all the way to tokyo.
bs: yes, that's right. so er, they quickly put it on a thai airlines flight and got it back to nepal half way through the first concert we were doing. meanwhile—meanwhile, we were panicking all over the place. we did actually manage to find an accordion, which we had to mend. we had to take it apart, and put it all back together and mend it you see. er, somebody lent mac a guitar, and er, i borrowed one or two bits of things to bash. you know, a drum and what-have-you. and erm, we had the er, people at the embassy, the british embassy in katmandu, running round making us costumes for our mummers play, which we do, with all the swords and helmets and shields and things. and we raided the er, costumes department of the local little er—people that get together and do little plays and things like that.
int: drama society. yes.
bs: yes. and er—for a few more bits and pieces. and we went on stage armed with this. now er. after that experience, we thought well look, if we can handle this, we can handle anything.
int: you ve arrived. that's it.
bs: and from there on, you know, everything went comparatively smoothly.
question no.11. who is the man being interviewed most probably?
question no.12. which of the following was the destination of this singing tour?
question no.13. what happened during the tour?
question no.14. what happened to their flight case?
question no.15. what did they do to solve their problem?
questions 16 to 20 are based on the following talk
since many of you are planning to study at a college or university in this country, you may be curious to know what a typical college course is like. what can you expect to do in typical week? how many exams will you have? will you have to do a lot of writing? what should you do if you have any problems? these are the questions i want to discuss with you today.
first let's talk about what your weekly schedule will look like. if you re an undergraduate in any field or major, you can expect to spend between four and six hours a week for each class attending lectures, no matter what your major may be. lectures are usually in very large rooms because undergraduate courses such as introduction to psychology or economics often have as many as two or three hundred students, especially at large universities. in lecture is often different from the information in your textbooks. also, you can expect to have exam questions based on the lectures. so it isn't enough tojust read your textbooks: you have to attend lectures as well. in a typical week you will also have one or two hours of discussions for every class you take. the discussion section is a small group meeting, usually with fewer than thirty students, where you can ask questions about the lectures, the reading, and the homework. in large universities, graduate students, called teaching assistants or t. a. s, usually conduct discussion sections.
if your major is chemistry, or physics, or another science, you'll also have to spend several hours a week in the lab, or laboratory, doing experiments. this means that science majors spend more time in the classroom than nonscience majors do. on the other hand, people who major in subjects like literature or anthropology usually have to read and writer more than science majors do.
now i'd like to go on and say a few words about examinations. most university courses have at least two exams: one in the middle of the quarter, called a midterm, and one at the end, called the final exam. most courses also have occasional quizzes, which are smaller tests given every week or two. there are two basic types of exam questions. there are objective questions, such as multiple choice, true / false, matching, or filling in the blank, and essay questions, where you must write an essay or a composition in response to question. most exams are combination of essay and objective questions.
in some courses, especially in nonscience ones, you might also have to write a research paper. a research paper is a writing project in which you choose a topic related to the course, go about what you have read. you can see that the ability to write is extremely important in american universities.
the final point that i want to cover today is what you should do if you need help in a particular class. if you re having a problem, you should make an appointment to see your instructor immediately. don't be shy! instructors plan to spend a certain amount of time each week with the students. they see the students in their offices during office hours. instructors will almost always announce their office hours at the first class meeting. you can also make a special appointment to see your instructor if you can't go to his or her regular office hours. i might add that it's a good idea to make an appointment to see your instructor even if you don't have a particular problem. that way it will be easier if you need special help later on.
so far i've talked about college course structure, about exams, about research paper, and about getting help if you need it. let's stop here and see if there are any questions.
question no.16. if a student takes three classes, about how many hours per week will he spend attending lectures?
question no.17. in which of the following ways do science majors differ from non-science majors?
question no.18. how many examinations are there in each quarter of the year for most of the university courses?
question no.19. which of the following statements is ture, according to talk?
question no.20. what should a student do if he has trouble in class?
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, let's begin part a with note-taking and gap-filling.
high school and college students in the united states today, as well as others who plan to work in this country, have one important question about their futures: will they find a job? there is no easy answer, of course. but let's look at some of the recent changes in the u. s. job market and see if we can make some predictions for future job hunters.
a good way to begin is to look at the american work force and how it's changing. the most important change has been the shift from a manufacturing economy to a service economy. let's define both of these terms. first, a service economy is one in which most workers provide services—that is, they do something, like pumping gas into people's cars, for example, instead of making something. generally, service jobs are grouped into five categories:
one: transportation and utility companies, like the phone company
two: wholesale companies
three: retail companies
four: finance, insurance, and real estate companies
and finally, five personal services, such as hotels, car repair, accounting, and medicine.
examples for people who work in service industries include your doctor, your hair stylist, airline pilots, and salesclerks in department stores.
in contrast, people who actually produce things—like cars, furniture, or clothing—are part of the manufacturing economy.
now, the point here is that we have changed from a manufacturing economy to service economy. the following numbers will show you just how much our economy has changed. one hundred years ago, 80% of workers produced goods; today only about 30% do. economists predict that by the year 2000 nine out of every ten workers will supply services.
what has caused this change in our economy? well, first, manufacturing industries are not growing for one simple reason: competition from western europe and asia. jobs in american automobile and steel production have especially decreased during the last ten years.
the number of service industries, on the other hand, increased for several reasons. because of technological advances－especially in computers and telephone communications— advertising, accounting, and other business services became important. also, the growing number of married women who work outside the home has increased the need for restaurants and day-care centers. and, as the number of old people has grown, so have health-care services.
so now you know where the jobs will be, and you ve decided to look for a job in a service industry. but wait, because some economists worry that the service-job explosion may create several problems. according to some studies, americans standard of living might decrease because half of the service jobs pay low wages. for example, three out of five new jobs between 1979 and 1985 paid less than $7,000 a year. the pay is low because many of these jobs don't require much education or training, and many of the workes are part-time or temporary employees. companies save money by using temporary employees because they don't have to give them health insurance or vacation pay. such jobs give a worker very little security.
the good news is that, as you can see in the chart, the fastest growing service job categories are the better-paying ones, particularly in the technical and computer-related field. but thesejobs require a high degree of skill and many years of education. so if you decide to look for a job in a service industry, and you want to be sure you'll make enough money, getting the right training and education first is the best way to prepare for the futurejob market.
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 sentence translation with sentence no. 1
sentence no.1. the sales manager is thinking about extending his stay in this city by a couple of days.
sentence no.2. the main thing in the teaching of art is to encourage the imagination of each student and allow them to express themselves as freely as possible.
sentence no.3. china is the first leg of the president's four-nation tour, which also includes japan, south korea and the philippines.
sentence no.4. compared to japan and the european countries, the united states is well ahead when it comes to the number of doctors per thousand inhabitants.
sentence no.5. i'm going to talk about the road accident figures in this city and the total number of accidents fluctuated quite a lot in the period of 1995-1997.
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 answe booklet. you may take notes while you are listening. now, let's begin passage translation with the first passage.
passage 1:
the traditional american family used to have a working father, a house-wife mother, and two or three children. but in the last twenty or twenty-five years, this picture has changed. now there are many different kinds of families besides the traditional one. for example, there are many single mothers and single fathers who are raising children by themselves. there are married couples who decide they don't want any children. sometimes adult children may come back and live with their parents again. sometimes you can also find groups of older people sharing a house in order to save money.
passage 2:
if you're traveling abroad on business, your most difficult problem is not the language barriers or the jet lag, but the lunch. every country has different customs and you can't afford to get it wrong.
down in the south of europe, lunch breaks last a long time. in italy, for example, they can last three hours. some lunches are lighter than others. if you're in scandinavia, a business lunch is sometimes just a plate of sandwiches. and don't be surprised if your hosts refuse alcohol and drink milk instead. not all places are so health-conscious. the americans are always complaining about smoking and drinking. but in russia people do both during the lunch.
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