星火英語2008年6月版五套預測第1課
Model Test One
Part III Listening Comprehension
Section A
Directions: In this section,
you will hear 8 short conversations and 2 long conversations.
At the end of each conversation,
one or more questions will be asked about what was said.
Both the conversation and the questions will be spoken only once.
After each question there will be a pause.
During the pause, you must read the four choices marked A), B), C) and D),
and decide which is the best answer.
Then mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 2
with a single line through the centre.
Now let’s begin with the eight short conversations.
11. W: Simon, could you return the tools I lent you
for building the bookshelf last month?
M: Uh, well, I hate to tell you this…
but I can’t seem to find them.
Q: What do we learn from the conversation?
12. W: I’m going to Martha’s house.
I have a paper to complete, and I need to use her computer.
M: Why don’t you buy one yourself?
Think how much time you could save.
Q: What does the man suggest the woman do?
13. W: Bob said that Seattle is a great place for conferences.
M: He’s certainly in a position to make that comment.
He’s been there so often.
Q: What does the man say about Bob?
14. W: Mr. Watson, I wonder whether it’s possible for me
to take a vacation early next month.
M: Did you fill out a request form?
Q: What is the probable relationship between the two speakers?
15. M: Do you want to go to the lecture this weekend?
I hear the guy who’s going to deliver the lecture
spent a year living in the rain forest.
W: Great! I’m doing a report on the rain forest.
Maybe I can get some new information to add to it.
Q: What does the woman mean?
16. W: Wow! I do like this campus: all the big trees, the green lawns,
and the old buildings with tall columns. It’s really beautiful.
M: It sure is. The architecture of these buildings is in the Greek style.
It was popular in the eighteenth century here.
Q: What are the speakers talking about?
17. M: This article is nothing but advertising for housing developers.
I don’t think the houses for sale are half that good.
W: Come on, David. Why so negative?
We’re thinking of buying a home, aren’t we?
Just a trip to look at the place won’t cost us much.
Q: What can be inferred from the conversation?
18. M: Would you pass me the sports section, please?
W: Sure, if you give me the classified ads local news section.
Q: What are the speakers doing?
Now you’ll hear the two long conversations.
Conversation One
W: Hello, Gary. How’re you?
M: Fine! And yourself?
W: Can’t complain. Did you have time to look at my proposal?
M: No, not really. Can we go over it now?
W: Sure. I’ve been trying to come up with
some new production and advertising strategies.
First of all, if we want to stay competitive,
we need to modernize our factory.
New equipment should’ve been installed long ago.
M: How much will that cost?
W: We have several options ranging
from one hundred thousand dollars all the way up to half a million.
M: OK. We’ll have to discuss these costs with finance.
W: We should also consider human resources.
I’ve been talking to personnel as well as our staff at the factory.
M: And what’s the picture?
W: We’ll probably have to hire a couple of engineers
to help us modernize the factory.
M: What about advertising?
W: Marketing has some interesting ideas for television commercials.
M: TV? Isn’t that a bit too expensive for us?
What’s wrong with advertising in the papers as usual?
W: Quite frankly, it’s just not enough anymore.
We need to be more aggressive in order to keep ahead of our competitors.
M: Will we be able to afford all this?
W: I’ll look into it, but I think higher costs will be justified.
These investments will result in higher profits for our company.
M: We’ll have to look at the figures more closely.
Have finance draw up a budget for these investments.
W: All right. I’ll see to it.
Questions 19 to 22 are based on the conversation you have just heard.
19. What are the two speakers talking about?
20. What does the woman say about the equipment of their factory?
21. What does the woman suggest about human resources?
22. Why does the woman suggest advertising on TV?
Conversation Two
W: Sir, you’ve been using the online catalogue for quite a while,
is there anything I can do to help you?
M: Well, I’ve got to write a paper about Hollywood in the 30s and 40s,
and I’m really struggling. There are hundreds of books,
and I just don’t know where to begin.
W: Your topic sounds pretty big.
Why don’t you narrow it down to something like…uh…
the history of the studios during that time?
M: You know, I was thinking about doing that,
but more than 30 books came up when I typed in “movie studios.”
W: You could cut that down even further
by listing the specific years you want.
Try adding “1930s” or “1940s” or maybe “Golden Age.”
M: “Golden Age” is a good idea.
Let me type that in…Hey, look, just 6 books this time.
That’s a lot better.
W: Oh…another thing you might consider…
have you tried looking for any magazine or newspaper articles?
M: No, I’ve only been searching for books.
W: Well, you can look up magazine articles in the Reader’s Guide
to Periodical Literature. And we do have the Los Angeles Times available over there.
You might go through their indexes to see if there’s anything you want.
M: Okay, I think I’ll get started with these books
and then I’ll go over the magazines.
W: If you need any help, I’ll be over at the Reference Desk.
M: Great, thanks a lot.
Questions 23 to 25 are based on the conversation you have just heard.
23. What is the man doing?
24. What does the librarian think of the topic the man is working on?
25. Where can the man find the relevant magazine articles?
Section B
Directions: In this section, you will hear 3 short passages.
At the end of each passage, you will hear some questions.
Both the passage and the questions will be spoken only once.
After you hear a question, you must choose the best answer from the four choices
marked A), B), C) and D). Then mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 2
with a single line through the centre.
Passage One
In the next few decades
people are going to travel very differently from the way they do today.
Everyone is going to drive electrically-powered cars.
So in a few years people won’t worry about running out of gas.
Some of the large automobile companies are really moving ahead
with this new technology. F&C Motors, a major auto company,
for example, is holding a press conference next week.
After the press conference the company will present its new,
electronically-operated models.
Transportation in the future won’t be limited to the ground.
Many people predict that traffic will quickly move to the sky.
In the coming years, instead of radio reports about road conditions and highway traffic,
news reports will talk about traffic jams in the sky.
But the sky isn’t the limit.
In the future, you’ll probably even be able to take a trip to the moon,
Instead of listening to regular airplane announcements, you’ll hear someone say,
“The spacecraft to the moon leaves in ten minutes.
Please check your equipment. And remember,
no more than ten ounces of carry-on baggage are allowed.”
Questions 26 to 28 are based on the passage you have just heard.
26. What will be used to power cars in the next few decades?
27. What will future news reports focus on when talking about transportation?
28. What will passengers be asked to do when they travel to the moon?
Passage Two
The period of engagement is the time
between the marriage proposal and the wedding ceremony.
Two people agree to marry when they decide to spend their lives together.
The man usually gives the woman a diamond engagement ring.
That tradition is said to have started
when an Austrian man gave a diamond ring to the woman he wanted to marry.
The diamond represented beauty. He placed it on the third finger of her left hand.
He chose that finger because it was thought
that a blood vessel in that finger went directly to the heart.
Today, we know that this is not true. Yet the tradition continues.
Americans generally are engaged for a period of
about one year if they are planning a wedding ceremony and party.
During the time, friends of the bride may hold a party
at which women friends and family members give the bride gifts
that she will need as a wife.
These could include cooking equipment or new clothing.
Friends of the man who is getting married may have a bachelor party for him.
This usually takes place the night before the wedding.
Only men are invited to the bachelor party.
During the marriage ceremony,
the bride and her would-be husband usually exchange gold rings
that represent the idea that their union will continue forever.
The wife often wears both the wedding ring and engagement ring on the same finger.
The husband wears his ring on the third finger of his left hand.
Many people say the purpose of the engagement period
is to permit enough time to plan the wedding.
But the main purpose is to let enough time pass
so the two people are sure that they want to marry each other.
Either person may decide to break the engagement.
If this happens, the woman usually returns the ring to the man;
they also return any wedding gifts they have received.
Questions 29 to 31 are based on the passage you have just heard.
29. What was the diamond ring said to represent?
30. Why did the Austrian man place the diamond ring
on the third finger of the left hand of his would-be wife?
31. What is the chief advantage of having the engagement period?
Passage Three
“Where is the university?” is a question many visitors to Cambridge ask,
but no one could point them in any one direction because there is no campus.
The university consists of thirty-one self-governing colleges.
It has lecture halls, libraries, laboratories, museums and offices throughout the city.
Individual colleges choose their own students
who have to meet the minimum entrance requirements set by the university.
Undergraduates usually live and study in their colleges
where they are taught in very small groups.
Lectures, and laboratory and practical work are organized by the university
and held in university buildings.
There are over ten thousand undergraduates
and three thousand five hundred postgraduates.
About 40% of them are women and some 8% from overseas.
As well as teaching, research is of major importance.
Since the beginning of the twentieth century,
more than sixty university members have won Nobel Prizes.
The university has a huge number of buildings for teaching and research.
It has more than sixty specialized subject libraries as well as the university library,
which, as a copyright library, is entitled to a copy of every book published in Britain.
Examinations are set and degrees are awarded by the university.
It allowed women to take the university exams in 1881.
But it was not until 1948 that they were awarded degrees.
Questions 32 to 35 are based on the passage you have just heard.
32. Why is it difficult for visitors to locate Cambridge University?
33. What does the passage tell us about the colleges of Cambridge University?
34. What can be learned from the passage about the libraries in Cambridge University?
35. What does the passage tell us about women students in Cambridge University?
Section C
Directions: In this section, you will hear a passage three times.
When the passage is read for the first time,
you should listen carefully for its general idea.
When the passage is read for the second time,
you are required to fill in the blanks
numbered from 36 to 43 with the exact words you have just heard.
For blanks numbered from 44 to 46 you are required to fill in the missing information.
For these blanks, you can either use the exact words
you have just heard or write down the main points in your own words.
Finally, when the passage is read for the third time, you should check what you have written.
Now listen to the passage.
Russia is the largest economic power
that is not a member of the World Trade Organization.
But that may change. Last Friday,
the European Union said it would support Russia’s effort to become a W.T.O. member.
Representatives of the European Union met with Russian officials in Moscow.
They signed a trade agreement that took six years to negotiate.
Russia called the trade agreement balanced.
It agreed to slowly increase fuel prices within the country.
It also agreed to permit competition in its communications industry
and to remove some barriers to trade.
In exchange for European support to join the W.T.O.,
Russian President Putin said that Russia would speed up the process
to approve the Kyoto Protocol, an international environmental agreement
to reduce the production of harmful industrial gases.
These “greenhouse gases” trap heat in the atmosphere
and are blamed for changing the world’s climate.
Russia had signed the Kyoto Protocol,
but has not yet approved it.
The agreement takes effect when it has been approved by nations
that produce at least 55 percent of the world’s greenhouse gases.
But currently, nations producing only 44percent have approved the Protocol.
Russia produces about 17 percent of the world’s greenhouse gases.
The United States, the world’s biggest producer,
withdrew from the Kyoto Protocol after President Bush took office in 2001.
So, Russia’s approval is required to put the Kyoto Protocol into effect.
To join the W.T.O., a country must reach trade agreements with major trading countries
that are also W.T.O. members.
Russia must still reach agreements with
China, Japan, South Korea and the United States.
Now the passage will be read again.
Russia is the largest economic power
that is not a member of the World Trade Organization.
But that may change. Last Friday,
the European Union said it would support Russia’s effort to become a W.T.O. member.
Representatives of the European Union met with Russian officials in Moscow.
They signed a trade agreement that took six years to negotiate.
Russia called the trade agreement balanced.
It agreed to slowly increase fuel prices within the country.
It also agreed to permit competition in its communications industry
and to remove some barriers to trade.
In exchange for European support to join the W.T.O.,
Russian President Putin said that Russia would speed up the process
to approve the Kyoto Protocol, an international environmental agreement
to reduce the production of harmful industrial gases.
These “greenhouse gases” trap heat in the atmosphere
and are blamed for changing the world’s climate.
Russia had signed the Kyoto Protocol,
but has not yet approved it.
The agreement takes effect when it has been approved by nations
that produce at least 55 percent of the world’s greenhouse gases.
But currently, nations producing only 44percent have approved the Protocol.
Russia produces about 17 percent of the world’s greenhouse gases.
The United States, the world’s biggest producer,
withdrew from the Kyoto Protocol after President Bush took office in 2001.
So, Russia’s approval is required to put the Kyoto Protocol into effect.
To join the W.T.O., a country must reach trade agreements with major trading countries
that are also W.T.O. members.
Russia must still reach agreements with
China, Japan, South Korea and the United States.
Now the passage will be read for the third time.
Russia is the largest economic power
that is not a member of the World Trade Organization.
But that may change. Last Friday,
the European Union said it would support Russia’s effort to become a W.T.O. member.
Representatives of the European Union met with Russian officials in Moscow.
They signed a trade agreement that took six years to negotiate.
Russia called the trade agreement balanced.
It agreed to slowly increase fuel prices within the country.
It also agreed to permit competition in its communications industry
and to remove some barriers to trade.
In exchange for European support to join the W.T.O.,
Russian President Putin said that Russia would speed up the process
to approve the Kyoto Protocol, an international environmental agreement
to reduce the production of harmful industrial gases.
These “greenhouse gases” trap heat in the atmosphere
and are blamed for changing the world’s climate.
Russia had signed the Kyoto Protocol,
but has not yet approved it.
The agreement takes effect when it has been approved by nations
that produce at least 55 percent of the world’s greenhouse gases.
But currently, nations producing only 44percent have approved the Protocol.
Russia produces about 17 percent of the world’s greenhouse gases.
The United States, the world’s biggest producer,
withdrew from the Kyoto Protocol after President Bush took office in 2001.
So, Russia’s approval is required to put the Kyoto Protocol into effect.
To join the W.T.O., a country must reach trade agreements with major trading countries
that are also W.T.O. members.
Russia must still reach agreements with
China, Japan, South Korea and the United States.
This is the end of listening comprehension.
