[00:00.67]PART II LISTENING COMPREHENSION
[00:04.65]In Sections A, B and C you will hear everything ONCE ONLY.
[00:11.68]Listen carefully and then answer the questions that follow.
[00:16.54]Mark the correct answer to each question on Answer Sheet Two.
[00:22.54]SECTION A CONVERSATIONS
[00:26.26]In this section you will hear several conversations.
[00:30.97]Listen to the conversations carefully
[00:33.78]and then answer the questions that follow.
[00:37.47]Questions 1 to 3 are based on the following conversation.
[00:42.80]At the end of the conversation, you will be given 15 seconds
[00:47.70]to answer the questions.
[00:50.19]Now, listen to the conversation.
[00:55.59]W: Good morning, I'm Miss Jordan.
[00:58.01]You've applied for the Laboratory Assistant's position, right?
[01:01.99]M: Yes, Miss Jordan.
[01:03.55]When I saw it advertised,
[01:05.23]I thought it would really suit me.
[01:07.72]W: Do you know exactly what you would be doing
[01:10.47]as a Laboratory Assistant?
[01:12.47]M: Well, I don't really know for sure,
[01:15.50]but I think it's got something to do
[01:17.28]with helping out the scientists in the laboratory, hasn't it?
[01:21.67]W: What were your favorite subjects at school?
[01:24.75]M: Maths and Science were my favorite subjects at school.
[01:28.31]I also enjoyed doing History.
[01:31.31]W: What sort of student do you regard yourself as?
[01:34.90]M: I suppose I'm a diligent student.
[01:37.79]I passed all my tests and enjoyed studying subjects
[01:41.43]that interested me.
[01:43.50]W: Do you have any further plans for further study?
[01:46.92]M: Well, I've thought about
[01:48.73]doing the part-time Chemistry Certificate course
[01:52.02]at Technical College.
[01:53.93]I think I would really benefit from doing that.
[01:57.22]W: Well, we have a lot of other applicants for this position.
[02:01.47]Why do you think that you deserve to get the job?
[02:05.43]M: I've found out a lot about this type of work
[02:08.43]and my research suggests that
[02:10.47]I would be quite capable of doing the work involved.
[02:14.70]I also think I would be able to handle any training course well.
[02:19.30]W: OK. That's all.
[02:21.63]Thank you for coming along to the interview.
[02:24.85]I'll call you as soon as possible.
[02:42.29]Questions 4 to 6 are based on the following conversation.
[02:46.98]At the end of the conversation, you will be given 15 seconds
[02:51.49]to answer the questions.
[02:53.77]Now, listen to the conversation.
[02:57.66]W: Good morning, Atlantic Travel in Beijing.
[03:00.62]Can I help you?
[03:02.20]M: Good morning.
[03:03.33]This is Eric Brown from the OS Corp.
[03:06.61]I'd like some information on flights to London.
[03:09.57]W: London?
[03:10.63]M: Yes.
[03:11.73]Could you please give me details of frequency of flights,
[03:15.26]fares and departure and arrival times?
[03:18.54]W: Oh, well, I'm afraid
[03:20.55]there seems to be only one direct flight a week.
[03:24.07]That's on Wednesday,
[03:25.68]leaving Beijing at 7:30,
[03:28.01]arriving Gatwick Airport at 17:30 local time the next day.
[03:33.45]M: Only one in a week...
[03:35.37]Mm, I wonder if you could
[03:37.41]check on flights through other European capitals
[03:41.00]—Paris, Brussels, for example.
[03:43.75]W: Yes, if you'll just hold on a moment,
[03:46.58]I'll check it for you. Ah... there's a flight from Paris on Thursdays
[03:53.18]and from Berlin every Saturday and Monday.
[03:56.55]Would you like me to work out all the connecting flights?
[03:59.50]M: Yes, please.
[04:01.32]You can also check on flights from Hong Kong.
[04:04.48]W: Actually, I'd better just check up on this.
[04:08.46]Do you think you could possibly ring back in say, half an hour?
[04:12.73]We don't get many inquiries for London
[04:15.53]and I may have overlooked something...
[04:17.90]or I could put the information in the post if you wish.
[04:21.40]M: Yes, I'd prefer that, and will you also enclose details of fares,
[04:26.60]flying times and return flights?
[04:29.39]If you could let us have it as soon as possible,
[04:32.21]I'd be grateful.
[04:33.76]W: I'll send it off today.
[04:50.50]Questions 7 to 10 are based on the following conversation.
[04:55.13]At the end of the conversation, you will be given 20 seconds
[04:59.08]to answer the questions.
[05:01.10]Now, listen to the conversation.
[05:05.05]M: Hi, Maggie.
[05:06.46]Do you know what the assignment is for our term paper in History?
[05:09.88]W: Sure. Well, Jack, weren't you in class on Monday?
[05:14.23]That's when it was given out.
[05:16.34]M: No. I missed that class.
[05:19.09]Was there a handout?
[05:21.14]W: No, the instructor just wrote the assignment on the board.
[05:25.80]M: Could I copy the assignment from your notes?
[05:28.77]W: You could, if I had copied it all down;
[05:31.74]but I just wrote down the part that I wanted.
[05:34.43]M: Oh, no.
[05:35.85]W: You see, there were three choices of topics for a term paper;
[05:39.75]but I knew which one I wanted, so I didn't copy the others down.
[05:44.35]Mine was "The Early Immigrants' Life in America."
[05:48.67]M: Can you remember the other two?
[05:51.25]W: There was one about the Breakout of World War I,
[05:55.38]something about it,
[05:56.75]but I don't remember what,
[05:58.99]and another called
[06:01.16]"The Idea of Progress in the 19th Century."
[06:05.37]M: Anyway, those are certainly broad topics.
[06:08.94]W: Yes, but you can focus on a special area within them.
[06:13.68]Which one would you take?
[06:15.80]M: I think I'd take "The Idea of Progress."
[06:19.62]W: That is very abstract.
[06:22.01]M: Yes, but it's one of my interests
[06:24.76]and I've read a lot on the subject.
[06:27.33]I've never written a term paper on it though.
[06:30.05]W: Me neither.
[06:31.61]I haven't even read about it.
[06:33.63]It's a very challenging topic.
[06:36.18]M: Yes, but I'll go all out to do it well.
[06:40.39]Could you give me some suggestions
[06:42.22]after I finish it?
[06:43.86]W: OK, I'd love to.
[06:46.31]Then we can exchange our ideas.
[07:08.73]SECTION B PASSAGES
[07:12.15]In this section, you will hear several passages.
[07:16.54]Listen to the passages carefully
[07:18.97]and then answer the questions that follow.
[07:22.46]Questions 11 to 14 are based on the following passage.
[07:27.85]At the end of the passage,
[07:29.77]you will be given 20 seconds to answer the questions.
[07:34.51]Now, listen to the passage.
[07:40.75]When you are preparing a speech
[07:43.13]either to be delivered to a small group of people
[07:46.50]or in public to a large audience,
[07:49.30]you must think how to begin and end it.
[07:53.15]A nice and attractive speech depends on a series of factors.
[07:58.64]Among them a well-planned outline or a set of subtopics
[08:03.83]seem necessary to build up a logic clue.
[08:07.81]To comb your thoughts, informative facts
[08:10.90]and figures which support your points,
[08:13.66]you should know something
[08:14.95]about the orderly framework of a speech.
[08:18.43]A very common way to organize the ideas in a speech
[08:23.54]is to arrange them in order of their importance.
[08:27.38]There are two ways to do this: you can
[08:30.48]discuss the most important point first
[08:33.72]and work down to the least important point,
[08:37.10]or you can begin with the least important
[08:39.74]and end with the most important.
[08:42.77]The way you choose depends on your topic and purpose;
[08:47.59]both ways can be effective.
[08:50.94]Besides, do remember that
[08:53.92]good pronunciation, intonation
[08:57.15]and correct use of grammar alone
[08:59.95]do not necessarily make a speech.
[09:03.34]You also need a proper framework to ensure
[09:06.60]the success of your speech thoughts.
[09:29.24]Questions 15 to 17 are based on the following passage.
[09:34.68]At the end of the passage,
[09:36.77]you will be given 15 seconds to answer the questions.
[09:41.56]Now, listen to the passage.
[09:46.01]In the United States, many people once lived in large,
[09:50.35]two- and three-story homes.
[09:53.33]Today, many people would like to live in such houses
[09:57.78]but most people can't.
[09:59.89]They don't have enough money to buy them
[10:02.91]or even to make the first payment.
[10:05.84]So, many people rent from month to month.
[10:10.24]But some Americans really want to live in a house of their own,
[10:15.24]so they build their own home.
[10:18.25]They buy a house that is situated in an area
[10:21.63]where houses are cheaper.
[10:24.19]Then they decorate it with old style furniture.
[10:28.92]Sometimes they can make an old house
[10:31.89]look more beautiful than a new one.
[10:35.20]Usually, it is not difficult for people
[10:38.45]to find an old home to buy.
[10:41.88]Many older people decide that
[10:44.37]they don't need a big home after their children leave.
[10:48.50]So they sell their house
[10:50.76]and move into a comfortable apartment.
[10:54.30]But when people move into a house,
[10:57.06]they sometimes have problems.
[10:59.81]Home owners have to do their own maintenance.
[11:03.61]For example, if the roof leaks,
[11:06.85]one cannot ask the landlord to fix it.
[11:10.22]On the other hand,
[11:11.89]people can redesign their homes in any way
[11:15.12]they want without having to be afraid of
[11:18.61]being thrown out by the landlord.
[11:35.82]Questions 18 to 20 are based on the following passage.
[11:42.32]At the end of the passage,
[11:44.34]you will be given 15 seconds to answer the questions.
[11:49.17]Now, listen to the passage.
[11:53.88]To ensure food safety, the Chinese government
[11:57.82]adheres to the principle of giving priority to prevention
[12:02.17]and control at its foot
[12:04.81]by monitoring and controlling the whole process,
[12:08.65]and has formed a regulatory format
[12:11.50]in which the local governments take the responsibility,
[12:15.33]related departments provide guidance and conduct coordination,
[12:19.90]and different sectors make concerted efforts
[12:23.29]under the unified national leadership.
[12:26.93]In response to the circumstances in China,
[12:30.44]the State Council issued
[12:32.40]The Decision on
[12:33.45]Further Strengthening Food Safety Supervision in 2004,
[12:39.01]according to which one monitoring link
[12:41.75]is supervised by one department;
[12:44.71]sectional supervision is adopted as the main means
[12:48.51]while supervision of different varieties as the supplementary means,
[12:53.48]making clearer the functions and responsibilities
[12:57.29]of the food safety supervisory departments.
[13:01.79]The Decision divided food safety supervision into four links,
[13:06.79]managed by the departments of agriculture,
[13:10.12]quality supervision and inspection,
[13:13.19]industry and commerce, and health, respectively.
[13:18.39]The production of primary agricultural products is supervised
[13:23.27]by the agriculture department,
[13:25.83]the quality and daily hygiene supervision of food processing is overseen
[13:31.07]by the quality supervision and inspection department,
[13:35.16]supervision of food circulation
[13:37.33]and distribution is done
[13:39.36]by the department of industry and commerce,
[13:42.36]and that of the catering industry and canteens
[13:45.89]is taken care of by the health department.
[13:49.53]In this way, there is a strict,
[13:52.27]complete regulatory system
[13:54.55]for food safety supervision.
[14:12.36]SECTION C NEWS BROADCAST
[14:16.25]In this section, you will hear several news items.
[14:20.87]Listen to them carefully and then answer the questions that follow.
[14:26.63]Questions 21 to 23 are based on the following news.
[14:32.90]At the end of the news item,
[14:35.29]you will be given 15 seconds to answer the questions.
[14:40.01]Now, listen to the news.
[14:46.17]The incident occurred Wednesday
[14:48.57]when Somali pirates boarded the container ship Maersk Alabama
[14:53.39]about 500 kilometers off the coast of Somalia.
[14:58.21]The 20-man crew regained control of the Danish-owned,
[15:02.27]American-operated ship.
[15:04.90]But the ship's captain—Richard Phillips—
[15:08.24]was taken hostage as the pirates escaped aboard a lifeboat.
[15:13.06]The U.S. Navy destroyer Bainbridge
[15:15.86]is on the scene and negotiators led by the Federal Bureau of Investigation
[15:21.63]are talking to the pirates in an effort to release Captain Phillips.
[15:41.58]Question 24 is based on the following news.
[15:45.78]At the end of the news item,
[15:48.12]you will be given 5 seconds to answer the question.
[15:51.94]Now, listen to the news.
[15:55.97]Scientists in Japan are trying to create a computer program
[16:00.41]smart enough to pass the University of Tokyo's entrance exam,
[16:04.87]it appears.
[16:06.43]The project, led by Noriko Arai
[16:09.69]at Japan's National Institute of Informatics,
[16:13.17]is trying to see how fast artificial intelligence might
[16:17.41]replace the human brain so that
[16:19.97]people can start training in completely new areas.
[16:24.17]"If society as a whole can see a possible change coming in the future,
[16:29.11]we can get prepared now," she tells the Kyodo news agency.
[16:34.51]But there's also another purpose
[16:37.07]behind the Can A Robot Get Into The University of Tokyo? project,
[16:43.65]which began in 2011.
[16:46.44]If machines cannot replace human beings,
[16:49.57]then "we need to clarify
[16:51.47]what is missing and move to develop the technology,"
[16:55.21]says Noriko Arai.
[17:01.90]Questions 25 and 26 are based on the following news.
[17:07.64]At the end of the news item,
[17:09.95]you will be given 10 seconds to answer the questions.
[17:14.05]Now, listen to the news.
[17:20.10]The city of Jerusalem is providing English lessons for its taxi drivers,
[17:25.30]so they can speak more freely with foreign tourists
[17:28.34]and improve customer service, it seems.
[17:31.77]Drivers will learn to give directions and answer questions
[17:34.94]about cultural heritage, on the 60-hour course.
[17:39.29]Mayor Nir Barkat says: "Everywhere in the world,
[17:43.38]the first people to be asked about a city
[17:45.98]and what's worthwhile doing there are the taxi drivers...
[17:50.19]That's why we've decided to fund their English studies."
[17:54.65]The courses will be held in groups of 10 and cost 17 pounds,
[17:59.73]with special focus given to
[18:01.60]correct pronunciation of tourist attractions.
[18:14.36]Question 27 is based on the following news.
[18:18.71]At the end of the news item,
[18:21.00]you will be given 5 seconds to answer the question.
[18:25.09]Now, listen to the news.
[18:28.93]Thousands of people made homeless by Italy's deadliest earthquake
[18:33.14]in 30 years celebrated a somber Easter on Sunday.
[18:38.13]Six days after the quake struck
[18:40.98]and with the death toll now standing at 294,
[18:45.69]masses were held in makeshift chapels set up in tent cities.
[18:51.42]The Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi traveled
[18:55.97]to the devastated area again on Sunday.
[18:59.65]He has promised not to abandon the people affected by the quake.
[19:09.05]Questions 28 and 29 are based on the following news.
[19:14.82]At the end of the news item,
[19:17.04]you will be given 10 seconds to answer the questions.
[19:21.35]Now, listen to the news.
[19:26.07]Mexican Ambassador Arturo Sarukhan says his government
[19:31.09]is engaged in a fierce battle with drug traffickers
[19:34.83]that export illegal narcotics to the United States,
[19:39.13]but that Mexico cannot win the battle alone.
[19:43.20]"You need two to tango.
[19:45.55]And as Mexico seeks to shut down the flow of drugs
[19:48.97]coming into the United States from Mexico and South America,
[19:53.54]we need the support of the United States
[19:56.03]to shut down the flow of weapons and bulk cash," he said.
[20:01.27]The Obama administration has boosted
[20:04.07]the number of federal agents
[20:06.20]and augmented other resources along the U.S. border
[20:09.77]with Mexico in response to the increasing violence by drug gangs.
[20:15.65]In addition, President Obama has dispatched
[20:19.27]Secretary of State Hillary Clinton,
[20:22.35]Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano
[20:26.52]and other top officials to Mexico to formulate
[20:30.49]a coordinated response to the trafficking threat.
[20:34.48]Mr. Obama has noted
[20:36.15]that the United States must reduce its appetite for illegal drugs.
[20:51.13]Question 30 is based on the following news.
[20:55.22]At the end of the news item,
[20:57.55]you will be given 5 seconds to answer the question.
[21:01.76]Now, listen to the news.
[21:06.18]Five million people worldwide, mostly in rural Asia and Africa,
[21:12.25]get bitten by snakes each year.
[21:15.37]Hundreds of thousands die or suffer permanent disability.
[21:20.55]A shortage of proper treatment in poor countries
[21:23.98]endangers countless farmers, young adults and children.
[21:29.39]In one snake farm in Bangkok,
[21:31.99]children are introduced to a variety of snakes.
[21:36.27]They learn that most snakes bite people only by accident,
[21:41.11]and they learn ways to avoid bites—such as wearing rubber boots.
[21:46.58]For now, experts say the best ways to reduce the death
[21:52.30]and injury toll from snake bites are prevention and education.
[22:01.98]This is the end of listening comprehension.