Part II Listening Comprehension

25 minutes

Section A

Directions:

In this section,

you will hear three news reports.

At the end of each news report,

you will hear two or three questions.

Both the news report 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 1

with a single line through the centre.

Questions 1 and 2 will be based on the following news item.

News Item 1

Rescue workers at the San Jose gold

and copper mine in northern Chile had reason to sing this week.

A small hole drilled into the earth became a passage to freedom

for thirty three trapped miners.

They spent sixty nine days underground.

“Never have people been trapped for so long so deeply,”

 says a doctor at NASA, the American space agency,

which helped in the rescue.

But the chief medical officer for the miners said

most are in good enough health to leave the hospital

within a day or so.The first three were released

from the hospital Thursday night.

For much of the day the miners relaxed

with Chilean President Sebastian Pinera.

The thirty two Chileans and one Bolivian still wore

special sunglasses to protect their eyes.

A partial mine collapse on August fifth trapped

them more than half a kilometer underground.

They had to stretch a two day food supply.

For two weeks no one knew if they were alive or dead.

Questions 3 and 4 will be based on the following news item.

News Item 2

Even as European officials sought to calm financial markets,

protesters in Ireland were busy denouncing higher taxes

in the government`s tough new budget.

In Greece, pensioners complain the country`s austerity measures

 have driven many of them into poverty.

Many Europeans worry that other high debt countries could be next.

But EU`s top monetary official, Ollie Rehn, remains confident.

He says Europe has the necessary tools

to deal with future crises so long as high debt nations

move forward with their own austerity measures.

“The recovery is taking hold and it is progressing,

but at the same time it is essential

that we contain the financial bush fires

so that they will not turn into a Europe wide forest fire”.

Questions 5 to 7 will be based on the following news item.

News Item 3

One of the candidates in Guinea`s run off election,

Cellou Dalein Diallo, has declared himself president

as his supporters burnt tyres

and set up barricades in the capital Conakry.Mr Diallo,

the front runner in the first round,

earlier described the election as fraudulent.

Here is Thomas Fessy.

Despite a ban on political demonstrations,

Mr Diallo`s supporters took to the streets

before being dispersed by security forces.

Residents heard gunshots,

but it`s still unclear whether there are any casualties.

The results were due to be announced by noon on Monday,

but that deadline has been missed.On Sunday,

Mr Diallo said he had evidence of fraud in some voting districts,

and he requested that the election body investigate further.Earlier today,

his rival candidate Alpha Conde,

a veteran opposition leader in the country,

suggested that he`d won the election.

And in the last few minutes,

 it`s been announced that Alpha Conde

has won Guinea`s presidential election.

The electoral commission said preliminary results showed

that he had taken just over 52% of the vote.

Section B

Directions:

In this section,

you will hear two long conversations.

 At the end of each conversation,

you will hear four questions.

 Both the conversation 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 1

with a single line through the centre.

Now you will hear two long conversation.

Conversation One

M: What is the most popular thing recently

in Thailand

W: Nowadays in Bangkok people are interested

in new modern technology like iPod trains and mobiles.

M: What is the population of Thailand?

W: There are about 65 million in Thailand

and most people live in Bangkok

because it is the capital city of Thailand.

M: How many different types of Thai curry are there?

W: We have many kinds of curry but the most well

known are green curry like chicken curry

and fish ball curry and red curry,

which we call “Pa Neang.”

And main ingredients are coconut milk,

chicken, pork and herb.

M: Do young Thai people know any Japanese musicians?

W: Yes, we know a lot, like Johnny`s Junior,

Arashi, winds, and Utada Hikaru.

M: Which do young Thai people eat more of,

bread, rice, or noodles?

W: Rice is the main food for Thai people.

Nowadays we eat more bread and more noodles.

M: What is the most popular sport in Thailand?

W: Thai people like to watch soccer mostly

interested in Premier League, Bundesliga

and Calcio Serie A and we like to play badminton too.

M: What do most Thai people eat when they are cold?

W: Thank you for your question.

In Thailand it`s not too cold in winter

but some people love eating Tom Yam Kung in December and January.

M: Do most Thai people like to take photos? Why or why not?

W: Most Thai people like to take photos

because Thailand has many beautiful places

and beautiful people

so that`s why we love to take photos.

Questions 8 to 11 are based on the conversation you have just heard.

8. What is the favorite thing recently in Thailand?

9.What kind of food do the Thai people

prefer according to this conversation?

10. Which of the following statements is NOT true

according to this conversation?

11. What nationality are the two speakers?

Conversation Two

M: What kind of prints that are popular among teenagers?

Which color do Japanese people usually wear?

W: I think the most popular prints are those of Cookie Monster,

Hello Kitty, and animal characters.

And Japanese don`t wear bright clothes.

Usually they wear dark ones, like black or brown.

M: Who is the most well known Thai singer in Japan?

W: Tata Young is the most famous Thai singer in Japan.

She held a live tour in Tokyo and it was a big success.

Her debut album for Japan recorded great sales all over Asia.

Her music is played on the Japanese dance scene.

Tata Young is so famous, not only in Japan,

 but also around the world.

M: What is still the tradition nowadays

and what is the main reason for the making tea ceremony?

W: In Japan, we send New Years cards to our relatives

and friends at the beginning of the year.

By making tea ceremony, we regain our composure

and we can enjoy drinking tea more.

M: What is “samurai”?

W: Samurai were people who had a special position

in traditional Japanese society.

Their hairstyle was called chonmage.

They carried an edged tool, called nihonto.

There are not any more samurai in Japan now.

M: What do you usually do in nightlife?

W: I usually listen to the radio,

play the guitar and the piano at home in the night time.

I think many other university students go out to dinner

at an Izakaya and drink beer with their friends.

M: What`s the population of your country

and where do most people live?

W: Most people live in Tokyo.

 The population of Tokyo is 12 million.

And the second largest population is that of Osaka,

which is 8.8 million. In Kyoto,

there are only 1.5 million people.

Questions 12 to 15 are based on the conversation you have just heard.

12. What are the two people talking about?

13. Which color do Japanese people NOT usually wear?

14.Which of the following no longer exists in Japan nowadays?

15.What do many other university students do in the nighttime?

Section C

In this section, you will hear three 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 1

 with a single line through the centre.

Passage One

Robert Edwards was blinded in an automobile accident nine years ago.

He was also partially deaf because of old age. Last week,

he was strolling near his home when a thunderstorm approached.

He took refuge under a tree and was struck by lightning.

 He was knocked to the ground and woke up some 20 minutes later,

lying face down in water below a tree.

He went into the house and lay down in bed.

 A short time later, he awoke; (17)his legs were numb

and he was trembling, but, when he opened his eyes,

he could see the clock across the room

fading in and out in front of him. When his wife entered,

he saw her for the first time in nine years.

Doctors confirm that has regained his sight

and hearing apparently from the flash of lightning,

 but they are unable to explain the occurrence.

The only possible explanation offered by one doctor was that,

since Edwards lost his sight as a result of trauma in a terrible accident,

perhaps the only way it could be restored was by another trauma.

Questions 16 to 18 are based on the passage you have just heard.

16．What was Edwards doing when he was struck by lightning?

17．How did Edwards feel when he was awake at home?

18．Which of the following is not true according to the passage?

Passage Two

Almost every family buys at least one copy of a newspaper every day.

Some people subscribe to as many as two or three different newspapers.

But why do people read newspaper?

Five hundred years ago,

news of important happenings battles lost and won,

kings or rulers overthrown or killed took months

and even years to travel from one country to another.

The news passed by words of mouth and was never accurate.

Today we can read in our newspapers of important events

that occur in far away countries on the same day they happen.

Apart from supplying news from all over the world,

newspapers give us a lot of other useful information.

There are weather reports, radio,

television and film guides, book reviews, stories,

and of course, advertisements.

There are all sorts of advertisements.

The bigger ones are put in by large companies

to bring attention to their products.

They pay the newspapers thousands of dollars for the advertising space,

but it is worth the money for the news

of their products goes into every home in the country.

For those who produce newspapers, advertisements are also very important.

Money earned from advertisements makes it possible

for them to sell their newspapers at a low price and still make a profit.

Newspapers often have information on gardening,

cookery and fashion, as well as a small

but very popular section on jokes and cartoons.

Questions 19 to 21 are based on the passage you have just heard.

19．For what purpose did the large companies

spend money on advertisements?

20．Which of the following is not mentioned

about the newspapers in the passage?

21．Which of the following can best be the title of the passage?

Passage Three

There are many kinds of nerve cells,

and this chapter deals mainly with three kinds.

The sensory nerve cells carry messages of heat, light,

sound and pressure from the skin,

muscles and organs inside the body.

Motor nerve cells carry messages to the muscles,

and this causes the muscles to move.

Connecting nerve cells go

between the sensory nerve cells and motor nerve cells.

After the messages go from the spinal cord to the brain,

the brain sends messages through the motor nerve cells to the muscles.

 All these different nerve cells help us

to see, hear, taste, smell and feel.

Now (24)if you have no further questions about Chapter Seven,

we`ll go on to talk about the chemical processes

involving the transfer of messages.

Questions 22 to 25 are based on the passage you have just heard.

22．How many kinds of nerve cells are mentioned in this chapter?

23．What is one function of sensory nerve cells?

24．What might the speaker be?

25．What is the main idea of the passage?