[00:00.69]PART I DICTATION
[00:03.70]Listen to the following passage.
[00:06.46]Altogether the passage will be read to you four times.
[00:10.63]During the first reading, which will be done at normal speed,
[00:14.74]listen and try to understand the meaning.
[00:17.69]For the second and third readings,
[00:20.50]the passage will be read sentence by sentence,
[00:23.24]or phrase by phrase, with intervals of 15 seconds.
[00:28.20]The last reading will be done at normal speed again
[00:31.81]and during this time you should check your work.
[00:35.00]You will then be given 2 minutes
[00:36.90]to check through your work once more.
[00:40.24]Please write the whole passage on ANSWER SHEET ONE.
[00:44.00]Now, listen to the passage.
[00:48.79]The Merits of Online Shopping
[00:52.78]The Internet has become a modern effective tool
[00:56.12]for transacting business activities.
[00:59.79]Many retailers are now transacting business online.
[01:04.73]Customers can actually shop items
[01:07.72]and subscribe to many services through the Internet.
[01:12.40]The merits of online shopping are quite obvious.
[01:16.77]Let's say, online shopping transactions make up
[01:20.69]for a significant convenience on the part of the online consumers.
[01:26.41]What can be more convenient than sitting
[01:29.58]in front of the computer at the comfort of home
[01:32.95]and shopping for items at the same time?
[01:36.81]Payments are usually caused electronically
[01:39.95]or through credit cards.
[01:42.31]In a matter of hours or about a few days at the most,
[01:46.76]the purchased item would be delivered right
[01:49.50]to the doorstep of the online buyer.
[01:53.34]As for computer software and download,
[01:56.51]it would only take minutes
[01:58.19]before the transaction is completed.
[02:01.61]That is why more and more people are getting online
[02:05.41]to shop for goods and services.
[02:09.86]The second and third readings.
[02:12.03]You should begin writing now.
[02:16.28]The Internet has become a modern effective tool
[02:19.51]for transacting business activities.
[02:37.74]The Internet has become a modern effective tool
[02:41.00]for transacting business activities.
[02:59.12]Many retailers are now transacting business online.
[03:18.30]Many retailers are now transacting business online.
[03:37.71]Customers can actually shop items
[03:55.79]Customers can actually shop items
[04:13.80]and subscribe to many services through the Internet.
[04:32.70]and subscribe to many services through the Internet.
[04:51.67]The merits of online shopping are quite obvious.
[05:10.80]The merits of online shopping are quite obvious.
[05:29.86]Let's say, online shopping transactions
[05:33.00]make up for a significant convenience
[05:51.25]Let's say, online shopping transactions
[05:54.36]make up for a significant convenience
[06:12.59]on the part of the online consumers.
[06:29.95]on the part of the online consumers.
[06:48.38]What can be more convenient than sitting in front of
[06:51.33]the computer at the comfort of home
[07:09.02]What can be more convenient than sitting in front of
[07:12.02]the computer at the comfort of home
[07:29.63]and shopping for items at the same time?
[07:47.80]and shopping for items at the same time?
[08:05.98]Payments are usually caused electronically or through credit cards.
[08:25.44]Payments are usually caused electronically or through credit cards.
[08:45.50]In a matter of hours or about a few days at the most,
[09:04.76]In a matter of hours or about a few days at the most,
[09:24.08]the purchased item would be delivered right
[09:26.73]to the doorstep of the online buyer.
[09:44.81]the purchased item would be delivered right
[09:47.45]to the doorstep of the online buyer.
[10:05.57]As for computer software and download,
[10:23.64]As for computer software and download,
[10:41.59]it would only take minutes before the transaction is completed.
[11:00.79]it would only take minutes before the transaction is completed.
[11:20.05]That is why more and more people are getting online
[11:23.88]to shop for goods and services.
[11:42.10]That is why more and more people are getting online
[11:45.99]to shop for goods and services.
[12:04.02]The lasting reading.
[12:06.71]The Internet has become a modern effective tool
[12:09.79]for transacting business activities.
[12:13.62]Many retailers are now transacting business online.
[12:18.63]Customers can actually shop items
[12:21.50]and subscribe to many services through the Internet.
[12:26.15]The merits of online shopping are quite obvious.
[12:30.69]Let's say, online shopping transactions make up
[12:34.49]for a significant convenience on the part of the online consumers.
[12:40.93]What can be more convenient than sitting
[12:43.35]in front of the computer at the comfort of home
[12:46.50]and shopping for items at the same time?
[12:50.84]Payments are usually caused electronically
[12:53.73]or through credit cards.
[12:56.18]In a matter of hours or about a few days at the most,
[13:00.58]the purchased item would be delivered right
[13:03.21]to the doorstep of the online buyer.
[13:07.03]As for computer software and download,
[13:10.06]it would only take minutes
[13:11.81]before the transaction is completed.
[13:15.33]That is why more and more people are getting online
[13:19.32]to shop for goods and services.
[13:23.53]Now, you have two minutes to check through your work.
[15:28.92]That is the end of Part I DICTATION.
[15:33.93]PART II LISTENING COMPREHENSION
[15:38.05]In Sections A, B and C you will hear everything ONCE ONLY.
[15:44.70]Listen carefully and then answer the questions that follow.
[15:49.78]Mark the correct answer to each question on Answer Sheet Two.
[15:55.37]SECTION A CONVERSATIONS
[15:58.94]In this section you will hear several conversations.
[16:03.45]Listen to the conversations carefully
[16:06.24]and then answer the questions that follow.
[16:10.10]Questions 1 to 3 are based on the following conversation.
[16:15.27]At the end of the conversation, you will be given 15 seconds
[16:20.20]to answer the questions.
[16:22.70]Now, listen to the conversation.
[16:27.36]W: American Airlines.
[16:29.02]May I help you?
[16:30.50]M: Yes. I would like to make a reservation.
[16:33.52]W: Where are you flying from,
[16:35.42]and what is your destination, sir?
[16:38.03]M: New York to Los Angeles.
[16:40.25]W: And when do you plan to travel?
[16:42.58]M: August the third.
[16:44.15]Do you have any flights in the morning?
[16:46.25]W: Yes, we do.
[16:47.93]We have a flight leaving New York at nine a.m.
[16:52.38]arriving in L.A. at eleven a.m..
[16:55.68]Another flight leaves here at eleven a.m.
[16:58.42]and arrives in L.A. at one p.m..
[17:02.07]M: I prefer the earlier flight.
[17:04.58]W: OK. Let me see whether there're seats available on that flight.
[17:10.17]Will that be first class or economy class?
[17:13.85]By the way, how many people are there in your party?
[17:17.54]M: Just myself.
[17:19.27]W: All right, there are seats still available.
[17:23.39]What's your last name?
[17:25.11]M: Wang, W-A-N-G.
[17:28.96]W: And your first initial?
[17:30.97]M: J.
[17:32.09]W: OK.
[17:33.32]I have booked you on American Airlines Flight Number 804
[17:38.01]leaving Kennedy Airport at nine a.m. August the third
[17:42.38]and arriving at L.A. International at eleven a.m..
[17:46.93]Please come one hour before departure
[17:49.02]to check in at the front desk.
[17:51.48]M: Thank you.
[18:08.00]Questions 4 to 6 are based on the following conversation.
[18:12.46]At the end of the conversation, you will be given 15 seconds
[18:16.70]to answer the questions.
[18:19.03]Now, listen to the conversation.
[18:22.91]W: Hello, may I help you, sir?
[18:25.99]M: Yes, I'd like to mail a package of books to China.
[18:30.13]How much postage is needed?
[18:32.16]W: Surface mail or air mail?
[18:34.62]M: Surface mail, please.
[18:36.97]W: Let me weigh it. It's 10 pounds.
[18:40.75]M: What is the maximum weight?
[18:42.96]W: The limit is 11 pounds for each package,
[18:46.50]and the rate is 2 dollars per pound.
[18:49.17]M: How long will it take to get there by surface mail?
[18:52.11]W: About two months.
[18:53.98]M: I see. Here are two small packages.
[18:57.01]I want to send this one by ordinary mail
[19:00.43]and the other one by air mail.
[19:03.01]W: Do you want them insured?
[19:05.11]M: Not this one, but that one.
[19:07.59]I'd like to insure it for 20 dollars.
[19:10.89]W: Let's weigh them.
[19:12.62]But you have to pay an additional 7 dollars for the insured package.
[19:17.49]M: All right. Do you have any other requirements?
[19:21.11]W: Oh, would you please fill out these customs forms for each package.
[19:26.44]Please state clearly the contents and value of each one,
[19:30.50]and the name and address of the sender.
[19:33.66]M: OK, I think I've filled out everything correctly.
[19:37.58]W: Well, here's your receipt.
[19:40.02]I'll send them for you as soon as possible.
[19:43.04]M: Thank you very much.
[20:00.04]Questions 7 to 10 are based on the following conversation.
[20:04.45]At the end of the conversation, you will be given 20 seconds
[20:08.63]to answer the questions.
[20:10.98]Now, listen to the conversation.
[20:15.22]M: Good morning, Miss Liu.
[20:16.74]Could I ask you some questions
[20:18.58]about applying for graduate study abroad?
[20:21.63]W: Of course.
[20:23.04]M: In applying to a US graduate school,
[20:25.48]what is the simplest rule?
[20:27.80]W: The earlier, the better.
[20:30.35]M: What should be done first?
[20:32.52]W: Read a number of related information
[20:35.11]about international study.
[20:37.50]And discuss with your family, teacher and friends.
[20:41.59]M: This work should be done before
[20:43.43]or after the GRE and TOEFL exams?
[20:46.82]W: Before the exams.
[20:48.88]M: How long should I need to prepare for the two exams?
[20:52.51]W: You should need at least six months to prepare
[20:55.38]for the two tests, but that also depends on your level of English.
[21:00.56]M: What is the next step?
[21:02.58]W: Write to the chosen schools to ask for admission
[21:05.89]and scholarship application forms.
[21:08.71]M: What are the necessary application materials?
[21:12.57]W: They usually include 1) personal statement,
[21:17.25]2) recommendation letters, 3) official transcripts,
[21:23.29]4) resume, 5) study plan, 6) financial ability certificate,
[21:32.27]7) application documents for scholarships,
[21:36.57]and 8) copies of your TOEFL and GRE scores.
[21:41.73]M: If one has received admission letters,
[21:44.31]what should he/she do then?
[21:47.93]W: Write to the schools to say thanks
[21:50.58]and keep contacting them for offers.
[21:53.68]Admission letters only mean they have decided to enroll you,
[21:57.75]not necessarily that they will give you a scholarship.
[22:01.93]M: Before setting off for the States,
[22:04.18]what final preparations should be made?
[22:07.52]W: Arrange your schedule.
[22:09.52]Apply for a passport and student visa.
[22:12.99]Buy any necessary items for your life in the US.
[22:17.46]Deal with the financial problems (e.g., exchange money).
[22:22.49]Book the air ticket.
[22:45.04]SECTION B PASSAGES
[22:48.24]In this section, you will hear several passages.
[22:52.33]Listen to the passages carefully
[22:54.53]and then answer the questions that follow.
[22:58.52]Questions 11 to 13 are based on the following passage.
[23:03.50]At the end of the passage,
[23:05.29]you will be given 15 seconds to answer the questions.
[23:10.02]Now, listen to the passage.
[23:14.83]Good morning, everyone.
[23:17.13]Thank you for inviting me to be here
[23:19.63]to talk about how to prepare notes.
[23:23.01]We usually make notes to prepare some kind of writing.
[23:27.49]One of the ways is to use what we call "pattern notes".
[23:32.47]It's a kind of individual brainstorming meeting,
[23:36.38]where you try to note down ideas as they occur to you
[23:40.43]and you show the way that they connect up.
[23:43.92]So one of the things you could probably do is to
[23:47.11]take a clean piece of paper and start with a topic
[23:50.74]you want to talk about written large in the middle.
[23:55.02]And then the different aspects of the topic
[23:57.92]will form your first set of branches.
[24:00.91]After that, the ideas begin to emerge,
[24:04.73]to develop some of these further.
[24:07.18]And, where you've got no ideas at all,
[24:11.01]there's a clear sign that certain aspects
[24:13.82]of the topic are either irrelevant
[24:16.59]or need to be thought about a little more.
[24:20.55]I suppose pattern notes are particularly useful
[24:24.64]because they're much quicker to produce
[24:27.04]than the conventional variety and they allow your mind
[24:30.86]to focus on the ideas without worrying about the correctness
[24:35.73]of the language you use.
[24:38.51]I believe that such notes can also be very useful
[24:43.10]for recording a fast moving discussion as the basis for minutes
[24:48.22]or a report to be written afterwards.
[25:06.34]Questions 14 to 16 are based on the following passage.
[25:11.90]At the end of the passage,
[25:13.80]you will be given 15 seconds to answer the questions.
[25:18.61]Now, listen to the passage.
[25:22.37]In China, social security takes the forms of social insurance,
[25:28.39]welfare, relief and services.
[25:32.16]Under the planned economy, the coverage of Chinese social
[25:36.06]security was very small.
[25:39.06]But since the reform of the urban economic system in 1984,
[25:44.38]the reform of the social security system with old-age insurance
[25:49.32]as the chief support has been carried out step by step.
[25:53.97]Regarding old-age insurance, China has actively promoted
[25:58.69]and perfected the method of combining social overall planning
[26:03.04]with individual accounts,
[26:05.64]and set up a unified basic old-age insurance system
[26:10.49]for staff and workers of enterprises.
[26:13.77]At the end of 1999, 94.33 million staff and workers
[26:20.82]and 29 million retired staff and workers of state-owned enterprises
[26:26.87]were covered by basic old-age insurance.
[26:30.55]So far, 99.12 million people have joined
[26:35.43]unemployment insurance schemes;
[26:38.57]21 million staff and workers and retired staff and workers
[26:43.13]are covered by the program
[26:44.77]for medical treatment for serious diseases;
[26:48.57]and some regions have started reforms
[26:51.14]of the basic medical insurance system.
[26:54.44]93 percent of laid-off staff and workers of state-owned enterprises
[26:59.97]were registered at reemployment service centers
[27:03.79]and 90 percent of them
[27:05.42]obtained basic living expenses.
[27:08.94]The social welfare services have developed steadily.
[27:13.14]The various types of neighborhood service facilities established
[27:17.44]in cities and towns totaled 180,000;
[27:22.14]and 5.26 million low-income people
[27:26.05]throughout the country received living expenses guarantees.
[27:46.31]Questions 17 to 20 are based on the following passage.
[27:51.81]At the end of the passage,
[27:53.66]you will be given 20 seconds to answer the questions.
[27:58.40]Now, listen to the passage.
[28:02.55]There are some steps you can take
[28:04.85]to prevent yourself from catching a cold.
[28:08.33]Contrary to popular belief,
[28:11.08]colds are not caused by exposure to severe weather.
[28:15.95]Colds are caused by virus harbored in the body, and you're better off
[28:20.82]out on the ski slopes or even waiting for the bus on a snowy day
[28:25.82]than you are in a toasty warm room, surrounded by friends, workers,
[28:31.84]or fellow students, who just may be passing the virus around.
[28:37.17]If you feel a chill when you're coming down with a cold,
[28:41.06]you're already sick. A chill is an early symptom.
[28:46.45]It's the cold that caused the chill, not the other way around.
[28:51.76]While the virus can spread through droplets propelled
[28:55.41]into the air when a cold-sufferer coughs, surprisingly,
[29:00.35]this is not the most common route of transmission.
[29:05.13]Numerous studies have now shown
[29:07.88]that the overwhelming majority of colds
[29:10.64]are caught by hand contact.
[29:13.74]A cold-sufferer rubs her nose,
[29:16.53]thereby transferring the virus to her hand.
[29:20.42]Cold viruses also can be transferred to objects
[29:24.91]—telephones, towels, plates
[29:28.08]—and remain infectious for up to three hours.
[29:32.67]Frequent hand washing
[29:34.63]—on the part of the cold-sufferer as well as other members of the household
[29:39.86]—will minimize the spread of viruses in this way.
[30:03.75]SECTION C NEWS BROADCAST
[30:07.31]In this section, you will hear several news items.
[30:11.68]Listen to them carefully and then answer the questions that follow.
[30:17.10]Questions 21 and 22 are based on the following news.
[30:22.93]At the end of the news item,
[30:25.14]you will be given 10 seconds to answer the questions.
[30:29.50]Now, listen to the news.
[30:33.35]The estimated 1.5 million Americans
[30:37.52]with family in Cuba will now be freer to visit
[30:41.32]and send financial help to their relatives.
[30:44.92]White House spokesman Robert Gibbs
[30:47.51]says all restrictions on travel and remittances are being lifted.
[30:53.29]At the same time,
[30:55.16]the Obama administration is authorizing greater telecommunications links
[31:01.38]to Cuba and expanding the list of humanitarian items
[31:05.98]that can be sent in gift packages to Cuba.
[31:09.59]Gibbs says all of these steps are designed to help bring about the day
[31:14.42]the Cuban people can freely determine their nation's future.
[31:29.04]Questions 23 and 24 are based on the following news.
[31:34.67]At the end of the news item,
[31:36.94]you will be given 10 seconds to answer the questions.
[31:41.41]Now, listen to the news.
[31:45.39]The U.S. Army chief of staff, himself, swears in this group of recruits
[31:51.47]at a ceremony in New York.
[31:54.17]Half of these 32 new Army recruits are immigrants
[31:58.29]from countries such as Pakistan, India, South Korea and Bangladesh.
[32:04.98]General George Casey welcomes the new soldiers,
[32:08.57]recruited under a new initiative called MAVNI
[32:12.67]—Military Accessions Vital to the National Interest.
[32:17.48]It's a pilot program that promotes enlistment
[32:20.83]as a short-cut to U.S. citizenship.
[32:24.25]Recruits are required to have at least
[32:26.41]two years of legal U.S. residency.
[32:39.55]Question 25 is based on the following news.
[32:44.00]At the end of the news item,
[32:46.40]you will be given 5 seconds to answer the question.
[32:50.50]Now, listen to the news.
[32:54.41]The Kingdom of Swaziland,
[32:56.55]landlocked between South Africa and Mozambique,
[33:00.60]is one of the smallest and poorest countries in Africa.
[33:04.88]It is also afflicted with the highest rate
[33:07.67]of HIV/AIDS infection in the world.
[33:11.53]One group has found a way
[33:13.44]to help poor rural women earn money at home
[33:17.44]so that they can still care for their families and other children
[33:21.64]who have lost their parents to AIDS.
[33:29.21]Questions 26 and 27 are based on the following news.
[33:34.68]At the end of the news item,
[33:36.90]you will be given 10 seconds to answer the questions.
[33:41.42]Now, listen to the news.
[33:45.14]A new survey of American Jews shows strong support
[33:49.10]for a more assertive American role in Middle East peace efforts,
[33:54.16]even if that means exerting greater pressure on Israel
[33:58.10]to reach a compromise with its Arab neighbors.
[34:01.96]The survey shows that Jewish-Americans
[34:05.21]—who gave Obama 78 percent of their vote
[34:09.07]in last November's presidential election
[34:12.16]—solidly back his Middle East policies.
[34:15.79]72 percent say they approve of the way
[34:19.09]he is handling the Arab-Israeli conflict.
[34:32.07]Questions 28 to 30 are based on the following news.
[34:37.36]At the end of the news item,
[34:39.43]you will be given 15 seconds to answer the questions.
[34:44.13]Now, listen to the news.
[34:47.50]Two months ago the International Monetary Fund
[34:51.87]said the world economy would grow
[34:54.02]by one half of one percent (0.5%) this year.
[35:00.01]But former IMF chief economist Michael Mussa
[35:04.70]says global conditions have worsened since then
[35:08.38]and that growth will be negative
[35:10.19]eight tenths of one percent (-0.8%) in 2009.
[35:17.76]Mussa, a fellow at Washington's Peterson Institute
[35:21.53]for International Economics,
[35:23.92]says the world economy is in the midst of
[35:26.89]its first significant downturn since World War II.
[35:31.70]He predicts output declines of 2% in the United States,
[35:36.51]5% in Japan and 2.5% in the Euro area.
[35:42.49]But Mussa says that unprecedented monetary
[35:45.92]and financial stimulus in the United States
[35:48.86]will turn the American economy around within the next few months.
[35:54.55]He sees positive signs in the 30% drop in home prices
[35:59.45]during the past two years, which is making housing
[36:03.09]more affordable for American families.
[36:21.53]This is the end of Listening Comprehension.