[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.
[00:48.45]The Network Computer
[00:51.75]The network computer, also known
[00:53.93]as the Internet appliance or Internet device,
[00:57.81]is the low cost, no maintenance desktop device.
[01:02.57]It allows users to effortlessly connect
[01:05.55]to Internet and network resources.
[01:08.86]From there, users can share any resource
[01:12.06]and perform all computing tasks
[01:14.71]that they currently do on their PCs.
[01:18.06]The network computer offers simplicity.
[01:21.29]Stripped of the hardware and software
[01:24.10]that complicate the PC life
[01:26.57]and only capable of network access and display,
[01:31.11]the network computer relies on the network
[01:33.83]for virtually all software,
[01:36.01]services, processing, data, and resources.
[01:40.24]It eliminates the continuous cycle of desktop hardware
[01:44.33]and software upgrades,
[01:46.40]pushing that burden instead on to the network.
[01:50.08]Need the latest word processor or spreadsheet?
[01:53.74]Run it off the server. Want to save your work?
[01:57.56]Just send it off to the network,
[01:59.87]where it will be stored, secured, and backed up.
[02:05.09]The second and third readings.
[02:07.39]You should begin writing now.
[02:11.49]The network computer, also known
[02:13.64]as the Internet appliance or Internet device,
[02:32.95]The network computer, also known
[02:35.19]as the Internet appliance or Internet device,
[02:54.21]is the low cost, no maintenance desktop device.
[03:13.45]is the low cost, no maintenance desktop device.
[03:32.51]It allows users to effortlessly connect
[03:35.22]to Internet and network resources.
[03:53.05]It allows users to effortlessly connect
[03:55.71]to Internet and network resources.
[04:13.46]From there, users can share any resource
[04:31.79]From there, users can share any resource
[04:50.52]and perform all computing tasks that
[04:52.94]they currently do on their PCs.
[05:10.72]and perform all computing tasks that
[05:13.19]they currently do on their PCs.
[05:30.96]The network computer offers simplicity.
[05:48.88]The network computer offers simplicity.
[06:07.19]Stripped of the hardware and software
[06:09.34]that complicate the PC life
[06:26.91]Stripped of the hardware and software
[06:29.17]that complicate the PC life
[06:46.84]and only capable of network access and display,
[07:05.88]and only capable of network access and display,
[07:24.84]the network computer relies on the network for virtually
[07:28.43]all software, services, processing, data, and resources.
[07:48.65]the network computer relies on the network for virtually
[07:52.23]all software, services, processing, data, and resources.
[08:12.51]It eliminates the continuous cycle of desktop hardware
[08:16.44]and software upgrades,
[08:33.32]It eliminates the continuous cycle of desktop hardware
[08:37.07]and software upgrades,
[08:54.08]pushing that burden instead on to the network.
[09:12.29]pushing that burden instead on to the network.
[09:30.43]Need the latest word processor or spreadsheet?
[09:48.82]Need the latest word processor or spreadsheet?
[10:06.77]Run it off the server. Want to save your work?
[10:25.05]Run it off the server. Want to save your work?
[10:44.13]Just send it off to the network,
[11:01.39]Just send it off to the network,
[11:18.57]where it will be stored, secured, and backed up.
[11:37.43]where it will be stored, secured, and backed up.
[11:56.00]The lasting reading.
[11:58.58]The network computer, also known
[12:00.92]as the Internet appliance or Internet device,
[12:04.72]is the low cost, no maintenance desktop device.
[12:09.50]It allows users to effortlessly connect
[12:12.44]to Internet and network resources.
[12:15.72]From there, users can share any resource
[12:18.95]and perform all computing tasks
[12:21.55]that they currently do on their PCs.
[12:24.98]The network computer offers simplicity.
[12:28.43]Stripped of the hardware and software
[12:30.76]that complicate the PC life
[12:33.43]and only capable of network access and display,
[12:37.73]the network computer relies on the network
[12:40.50]for virtually all software,
[12:42.66]services, processing, data, and resources.
[12:47.10]It eliminates the continuous cycle of desktop hardware
[12:50.95]and software upgrades,
[12:53.13]pushing that burden instead on to the network.
[12:56.84]Need the latest word processor or spreadsheet?
[13:00.36]Run it off the server. Want to save your work?
[13:04.15]Just send it off to the network,
[13:06.58]where it will be stored, secured, and backed up.
[13:10.99]Now, you have two minutes to check through your work.
[15:19.00]That is the end of Part I DICTATION.
[15:24.87]PART II LISTENING COMPREHENSION
[15:29.07]In Sections A, B and C you will hear everything ONCE ONLY.
[15:36.02]Listen carefully and then answer the questions that follow.
[15:40.63]Mark the correct answer to each question on Answer Sheet Two.
[15:46.46]SECTION A CONVERSATIONS
[15:50.02]In this section you will hear several conversations.
[15:54.65]Listen to the conversations carefully
[15:57.36]and then answer the questions that follow.
[16:01.17]Questions 1 to 4 are based on the following conversation.
[16:06.37]At the end of the conversation, you will be given 20 seconds
[16:11.11]to answer the questions.
[16:13.45]Now, listen to the conversation.
[16:17.97]M: Nancy, what classes are you taking this semester?
[16:21.67]W: I'm not sure yet.
[16:23.77]I want to take two English courses and maybe Spanish.
[16:29.07]And I'll probably have to take math.
[16:32.08]M: Aren't you going to take biology?
[16:34.44]That's a required class you know.
[16:36.77]W: I already took it.
[16:38.41]What are you taking?
[16:40.14]M: Only biology and English.
[16:42.74]W: How come you're only taking two courses?
[16:45.76]M: I have to work this year.
[16:47.46]I couldn't get a student loan
[16:49.56]so I can't have enough money to study full-time.
[16:53.12]W: What kind of job are you going to get?
[16:56.37]M: That's the problem.
[16:57.65]I've tried all the gas stations and the restaurants, but nothing.
[17:02.22]I'm going to try a few cab companies tomorrow.
[17:05.54]I like to drive.
[17:07.33]W: My brother is a bus driver.
[17:09.49]He likes driving too.
[17:11.53]M: Well, I'll see what happens tomorrow.
[17:14.43]By the way, have you seen Dave yet?
[17:17.26]He just got back yesterday.
[17:19.19]W: Oh? Where did he go?
[17:21.30]I hadn't heard that he was going to any place.
[17:24.57]M: He went to Europe.
[17:25.90]He was there for three weeks.
[17:28.05]W: How did he like it?
[17:29.62]M: He said Germany was nice
[17:31.40]but he didn't like France or Spain at all.
[17:34.65]W: I went to Spain once and I really liked it.
[17:38.44]But the place I like most was Switzerland.
[17:41.82]I spent two weeks visiting my uncle there.
[17:44.93]It's great.
[17:46.31]M: I hope that I can get to Europe someday.
[17:49.02]I've never been out of the United States.
[18:11.45]Questions 5 to 7 are based on the following conversation.
[18:16.38]At the end of the conversation, you will be given 15 seconds
[18:20.18]to answer the questions.
[18:22.49]Now, listen to the conversation.
[18:26.30]W: Have you seen many advertisements on the campus now?
[18:29.92]M: Yes, but I paid no attention to what they were about.
[18:33.65]W: Oh, they are about different training classes
[18:37.35]for various examinations.
[18:39.75]M: What kind of examinations do you refer to?
[18:42.98]W: I mean those for which you want to get a diploma or certificate.
[18:47.62]M: Oh, yes. I know that.
[18:50.27]But I really can't see any of their uses.
[18:53.26]They do more harm than good, I think.
[18:56.47]W: Which one do you mean,
[18:58.07]the test or the training class?
[19:00.62]M: Both.
[19:02.01]W: I don't agree with you.
[19:04.34]In fact, if you are really concerned about the social development,
[19:09.50]you may find that what we can learn in class
[19:12.40]is not enough for us in the future.
[19:15.05]So we need to learn more outside the class.
[19:18.26]M: So you can just study without needing to take the exam.
[19:22.29]Don't you think it's a waste of time and money?
[19:25.44]W: Come on, if you don't take the exam,
[19:28.18]how can you know if you've already grasped the knowledge?
[19:31.75]Besides, without the diploma,
[19:34.30]how can our future employers decide what jobs
[19:37.36]to give us after we finish our schooling?
[19:40.57]M: What about the training class?
[19:42.86]W: How would you ask such a foolish question?
[19:46.14]M: I really don't know!
[20:03.03]Questions 8 to 10 are based on the following conversation.
[20:07.80]At the end of the conversation, you will be given 15 seconds
[20:12.30]to answer the questions.
[20:14.46]Now, listen to the conversation.
[20:18.28]M: Wow, Rachel, there are so many new books in this bookstore!
[20:22.99]W: Yes, that's great! Any book interests you?
[20:27.14]M: This one, of course, about space.
[20:30.21]You know I'm crazy about that.
[20:32.34]W: Yes.
[20:33.59]M: Oh, no. English again!
[20:36.50]Why are so many books written in English? It's beyond me.
[20:41.17]W: Yes, nowadays there is an extremely large amount of materials
[20:46.06]in English on a vast range of subjects in the world
[20:49.72]and it seems to be increasing all the time.
[20:52.95]M: That's true!
[20:54.38]English has become a language of science and technology,
[20:57.84]of international business, and of many enterprises across national borders.
[21:04.07]W: This might be a powerful reason
[21:06.21]why English should be taught and learned widely.
[21:09.84]For this reason, English is also seen as a threat
[21:13.43]to the languages of other countries.
[21:16.40]M: A threat to the languages of other countries?
[21:19.26]I can't catch it!
[21:21.12]W: Because it can be used to spread products and cultural ideas
[21:25.48]that are associated with English to other countries.
[21:29.37]This is what we often call "cultural imperialism".
[21:34.18]M: No wonder we can find McDonald's
[21:36.17]and Kentucky Fried Chicken, Coca Cola, etc. in many countries now.
[21:42.06]W: You've got it. If a language is used internationally,
[21:46.35]it tends to spread the culture of its country of origin.
[21:50.52]M: Rachel, I see now.
[21:52.88]There are really a lot of things I can learn from you.
[22:11.91]SECTION B PASSAGES
[22:14.87]In this section, you will hear several passages.
[22:19.15]Listen to the passages carefully
[22:21.41]and then answer the questions that follow.
[22:25.08]Questions 11 to 13 are based on the following passage.
[22:30.63]At the end of the passage,
[22:32.66]you will be given 15 seconds to answer the questions.
[22:37.28]Now, listen to the passage.
[22:41.63]When children begin school in the United States,
[22:45.15]at the age of five or so,
[22:47.73]they are usually clearly either right-handed or left-handed.
[22:52.89]In schools in the United States,
[22:55.57]left-handed children are usually allowed to learn to write,
[22:59.89]cut with scissors,
[23:01.18]and work with art supplies with their preferred hand.
[23:05.36]But in the past, it was often the custom to force a left-handed child
[23:10.53]to learn to write and do other work with the right hand.
[23:15.31]In some countries, this is still done today.
[23:19.74]Researchers do not agree on the effects of such a change.
[23:24.56]Some say that forcing a left-handed child to be right-handed
[23:29.04]can cause emotional and physical problems and even learning difficulties.
[23:34.74]They say such a child may start to confuse the directions
[23:39.21]and reverse letters and numbers accidentally,
[23:42.53]such as writing 36 instead of 63.
[23:47.47]Other specialists laugh at such findings
[23:51.13]and say that changing a child's handedness will have no such effects.
[23:56.88]Perhaps part of the disagreement is due to the fact
[24:00.44]that children differ in how strong their hand preference is.
[24:05.32]Some left-handers are so strongly left-handed that they fight any change,
[24:11.52]and if they are forced,
[24:13.17]they may indeed develop problems.
[24:16.44]Others are not so strongly left-handed
[24:19.30]and can make the change without any great difficulty.
[24:38.09]Questions 14 to 17 are based on the following passage.
[24:43.41]At the end of the passage,
[24:45.36]you will be given 20 seconds to answer the questions.
[24:49.99]Now, listen to the passage.
[24:53.74]Culture shock can be described as the feeling of confusion
[24:58.00]and disorientation that one experiences when faced
[25:02.03]with a large number of new and unfamiliar people and situations.
[25:07.93]Many things contribute to it—smells, sounds, flavors,
[25:13.77]the very feeling of the air one is breathing.
[25:17.06]Of course, the natives' unfamiliar language
[25:20.37]and behavior contribute to it, too.
[25:23.91]People's responses to culture shock vary greatly,
[25:27.86]from excitement and energetic action to withdrawal,
[25:32.03]depression, physical illness, and hostility.
[25:36.61]The notion of culture shock calls two useful points to mind.
[25:41.53]First, most people experience some degree of culture shock
[25:46.04]when they go to a new country.
[25:48.89]Culture shock is more a product
[25:50.93]of the situation of being in a new culture
[25:54.60]than it is of the traveler's personal character.
[25:58.38]Second, culture shock, like other kinds of "shock",
[26:02.58]is normally short-lived. It passes with time.
[26:06.93]Academic analysis of the culture shock idea point out
[26:11.67]that the experience of culture shock need not be negative.
[26:16.48]While there may be some unhappiness and unpleasantness
[26:20.10]along with the confusion and disorientation,
[26:23.82]the confusion and disorientation are necessary steps
[26:27.44]in learning about a new culture.
[26:30.38]If everything in the new place is just like home,
[26:33.77]no learning will come from being there.
[26:56.63]Questions 18 to 20 are based on the following passage.
[27:01.59]At the end of the passage,
[27:03.72]you will be given 15 seconds to answer the questions.
[27:08.43]Now, listen to the passage.
[27:12.00]Scientists say people who drink a lot of coffee
[27:15.95]may be less likely than others to develop the brain disorder
[27:20.42]called Parkinson's disease.
[27:23.25]The Journal of the American Medical Association recently
[27:27.27]reported on a study of about 8,000 Japanese-American men
[27:32.13]in the American state of Hawaii.
[27:35.04]The study, which lasted thirty years,
[27:38.45]found that the men who drank the most coffee
[27:41.32]were the least likely to develop Parkinson's disease.
[27:45.93]The report says men who drank about five cups of coffee a day
[27:50.29]were five times less likely to develop Parkinson's disease
[27:55.02]than men who did not drink coffee.
[27:58.46]However, the researchers say that they do not know
[28:02.31]if these results would also be true among women
[28:05.90]and other ethnic groups.
[28:08.72]Millions of people around the world suffer from Parkinson's disease.
[28:13.70]The disease involves the destruction of nerve cells in the brain.
[28:18.86]Signs of the disease include uncontrolled shaking,
[28:22.88]difficulty moving muscles and loss of balance.
[28:27.96]Scientists say there are several reasons why caffeine
[28:31.54]seems to prevent Parkinson's disease.
[28:34.97]They suggest caffeine might somehow protect
[28:38.12]against the nerve cell destruction that causes the disease.
[28:42.55]Or people who drink a lot of coffee may have a kind of brain chemistry
[28:48.42]that makes them less likely to develop the disease.
[28:52.38]In spite of the research results,
[28:54.94]scientists say it is too early to suggest coffee as a prevention
[28:59.91]or treatment for Parkinson's disease.
[29:18.49]SECTION C NEWS BROADCAST
[29:22.07]In this section, you will hear several news items.
[29:26.29]Listen to them carefully and then answer the questions that follow.
[29:31.73]Question 21 is based on the following news.
[29:35.83]At the end of the news item,
[29:37.93]you will be given 5 seconds to answer the question.
[29:42.12]Now, listen to the news.
[29:45.80]One provision of the Affordable Care Act
[29:48.50]that was supposed to take effect today has been delayed.
[29:52.03]It's the requirement that groups affiliated
[29:54.50]with religious organizations
[29:56.46]provide contraception as part of their health insurance coverage.
[30:00.95]The temporary block was issued
[30:02.94]by Supreme Court justice Sonia Sotomayor.
[30:06.59]It came after a request for the state
[30:09.20]by a group of nuns working in a nursing home.
[30:12.46]In March, the Supreme Court is scheduled
[30:14.89]to hear arguments on a related matter
[30:17.38]—whether for-profit companies
[30:19.19]are also required to provide contraception
[30:21.83]in health coverage.
[30:28.16]Questions 22 and 23 are based on the following news.
[30:33.61]At the end of the news item,
[30:36.01]you will be given 10 seconds to answer the questions.
[30:40.26]Now, listen to the news.
[30:43.75]The sole surviving gunman suspected of participating
[30:47.60]last year's terrorist attack in Mumbai
[30:50.89]has been having difficulty keeping a lawyer.
[30:54.72]His latest court-appointed counsel had threatened to quit
[30:58.93]after angry demonstrators surrounded her home.
[31:02.57]But the lawyer has agreed to stay on the case.
[31:06.59]Court-appointed lawyer Anjali Waghmare had written a note Monday night
[31:12.41]to protesters attacking her house with stones
[31:15.58]that she would bow to their demand not to represent an accused terrorist.
[31:21.05]But, after promises of police protection, on Wednesday,
[31:25.57]the 40-year-old senior advocate of the Maharashtra state public legal authority
[31:31.63]agreed to stay on the case.
[31:44.08]Question 24 is based on the following news.
[31:48.32]At the end of the news item,
[31:50.50]you will be given 5 seconds to answer the question.
[31:54.79]Now, listen to the news.
[31:58.22]The federal minimum wage is $7.25
[32:03.03]and now some 20 states will surpass that.
[32:06.62]President Obama says he supports
[32:09.24]raising the federal minimum wage
[32:11.50]to $10.10 an hour over two years.
[32:15.91]A recent article in the New York Times notes that
[32:19.29]leaders in the Democratic Party believe the minimum wage
[32:23.15]is an issue that will serve them well politically,
[32:26.62]not only by pushing for a rise in the federal minimum wage,
[32:30.72]but attempting to place state minimum wage proposals on the ballot
[32:35.22]in states with hotly contested races.
[32:43.32]Questions 25 and 26 are based on the following news.
[32:48.91]At the end of the news item,
[32:51.19]you will be given 10 seconds to answer the questions.
[32:55.60]Now, listen to the news.
[32:59.43]The majority socialist party says it will present a proposal
[33:03.09]to speed up divorces of consenting couples next week.
[33:07.31]French Justice Minister Christiane Taubira
[33:10.41]will be in charge of the proposal.
[33:12.61]She is the minister who pushed through France's new law
[33:16.10]authorizing same-sex marriage and adoption last year.
[33:20.39]The divorce measure isn't likely
[33:22.67]to endear her any further to conservatives.
[33:26.18]Under the proposal a court clerk could approve divorces
[33:30.12]if both spouses agree on the separation.
[33:33.97]A spokesman for France's socialist government says
[33:37.17]simplifying the process will let highly-trained court clerks
[33:40.89]to handle easy divorces while freeing up judges for difficult breakups.
[33:46.59]Opponents say the plan will further weaken the institution of marriage.
[34:01.08]Questions 27 and 28 are based on the following news.
[34:06.80]At the end of the news item,
[34:08.93]you will be given 10 seconds to answer the questions.
[34:13.09]Now, listen to the news.
[34:16.93]The major high income and developing countries
[34:20.08]that set policy for the 185 member-nation World Bank
[34:25.67]agreed in Washington on Sunday that the bank should boost its lending
[34:30.59]to help poor countries adversely affected by the global economic slowdown.
[34:36.59]World Bank President Robert Zoellick said the bank will boost its lending
[34:42.05]by $100 billion during the next three years,
[34:47.01]noting that the economic crisis has forced
[34:49.87]as many as 90 million more people into extreme poverty.
[35:04.95]Questions 29 and 30 are based on the following news.
[35:10.48]At the end of the news item,
[35:12.81]you will be given 10 seconds to answer the questions.
[35:17.23]Now, listen to the news.
[35:20.84]Malaria kills about one million people annually,
[35:24.98]and 9 out of 10 of them are Africans.
[35:28.79]Pregnant women and children are the most vulnerable to the disease,
[35:33.75]and it is estimated that every 30 seconds a child dies of malaria.
[35:39.69]Though the disease is preventable and treatable,
[35:43.58]health workers have found that simply using mosquito nets
[35:47.69]and treating homes with insecticide is not sufficient.
[35:52.09]Community education is also important.
[36:05.84]This is the end of listening comprehension.