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.

Conversation One

M: Hi, Anna! Welcome back! How's your trip to the States?

W:Very busy. I had a lot of meetings, so, of course,

I didn't have much time to see New York.

M: What a pity! Actually, I have a trip there myself next week.

W: Do you? Then take my advice, do the well-being

in the air program. It really works.

M: Oh, I read about that in a magazine. You say it works?

W:Yes, I did the program on the flight to the States,

and when I arrived at New York, I didn't have any problem,

no jet lag at all. On the way back, I didn't do it,

and I felt terrible.

M: You're joking!

W: Not at all, it really made a lot of difference.

M: So what did you do?

W:Well, I didn't drink any alcohol or coffee,

and I didn't eat any meat or rich food.

I drink a lot of water, and fruit juice,

and I eat the meals on the well-being menu.

They're lighter. They have fish, vegetables,

and noodles, for example, and I did some of the exercises

in the program.

M: Exercises? On a plane?

W: Yes.I didn't do many, of course,there

isn't much space on a plane.

M:How many passengers do the exercises?

W: Not many.

M: Then how much champagne did they drink?

W: A lot! It was more popular than mineral water.

M: So basically, it's a choice.

Mineral water and exercises, or champagne and jet lag.

W: That's right! It's a difficult choice.

Questions 1 to 4 are based on the conversation you have just heard.

1:Q：Why did the woman go to New York?

2:Q：Why does the woman say about the well-being in the air program?

3:Q：What did the woman do to follow the well-being menu?

4:Q：What did the woman say about other passengers?

Conversation Two

W: Morning. Can I help you?

M: Well, I'm not really sure. I'm just looking.

W: I see. Well, there's plenty to look at it again this year.

I'm sure you have to walk miles to see each stand.

M: That's true.

W: Er…, would you like coffee?

Come and sit down for a minute,no obligation.

M: Well, that's very kind of you, but…

W: Now, please.Is this the first year you've been to the fair, Mr…?

M: Yes, Johnson, James Johnson.

W: My name's Susan Carter.

Are you looking for anything in particular,

or are you interested in computers in general?

M: Well, actually, I have some specific jobs in mind.

I own a small company, we've grown quite

dramatically over the past 12 months,

and we really need some technological help to enable us to keep

on top of everything.

W: What's your line of business, Mr. Johnson?

M:We're a training consultancy.

W: I see. And what do you need “to keep on top of”?

M: The first thing is correspondence.

We have a lot of standard letters and forms.

So I suppose we need some kind of word processor.

W: Right. Well, that's no problem.

But it may be possible for you to get a system

that does a lot of other things in addition to word processing.

What might suit you is the MR5000.

That's over there! It's IBM compatible.

M: What about the price?

W: Well,the MR5000 costs 1,050 pounds.

Software comes free with the hardware.

M: Well, I'll think about it. Thank you.

W: Here's my card. Please feel free to contact me.

Questions 5 to 8 are based on the conversation you have just heard.

5:Q：Where did the conversation take place?

6:Q：What are the speakers talking about?

7:Q：What's the man's line of business?

8:Q：What is the price of the MR5000?

Section B

Directions:

In this section,

you will hear two passages.

At the end of each passage,

you will hear three or four 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 Sheet1

with a single line through the centre.

Passage One

The new year always brings with the cultural

tradition of new possibilities.

We see it as a chance for renewal.

We begin to dream of new possible selves.

We design our ideal self or an image

that is quite different from what we are now.

For some of us, we roll that dreamy film in our heads

just because it's the beginning of a new year.

But we aren't serious about making changes.

We just make some half-hearted resolution and it evaporates

after a week or two. The experience

makes us feel less successful and leads us to discount our ability

to change in the future. It's not that change is impossible but

that it won't last unless our resolutions are supported

with plans for implementation.

We have to make our intentions manageable by detailing the specific

steps that will carry us to our goal.

Say your goal is to lose weight by dieting and cutting off sweets.

But one night you just have to have a cookie.

And you know there's a bag of your favorites in the cupboard.

You want one, you eat two, you check the bag and find out

you've just shot 132 calories. You say to yourself,

“What the hell!”and polish off the whole bag.

Then you begin to draw all kinds of unpleasant conclusions about yourself.

To protect your sense of self, you begin to discount the goal.

You may think “Well, dieting wasn't that important

to me and I won't make it anyhow.”

So you'll abandon the goal and return to your bad habits.

Questions 9 to 11 are based on the passage you have just heard.

9.Q：What do people usually wish to do at the beginning of the New Year?

10.Q:How can people turn their New Year's resolutions into reality?

11.Q:Why does the speaker mention the example of sweets and cookies?

Passage Two

Americans suffer from an overdose of work. Regardless of who they are or what they do,

Americans spend more time at work than at any time since World War Ⅱ.

In 1950, the US had fewer working hours than any other industrialized country.

Today it exceeds every country but Japan,

where industrial employees log 2,155 hours a year,

compared with 1,951 in the US, and 1,603 in the former West Germany.

Between 1969 and 1989 employed Americans added an average of 138 hours

to their yearly work schedules. The workweek has remained at about 40 hours,

but people are working more weeks each year.Specifically, pay time off holidays,

vacations and sick leave shrank by 50% in the 1980's.

As corporations have experienced stiff competition and slower growth productivity,

they have pressed employees to work longer. Cost cutting lay-offs in the 1980's reduced

the professional and managerial ranks leaving fewer people to get the job done.

In lower paid occupations, where wages have been reduced,

workers have added hours in overtime or extra jobs to preserve

their living standards.

The government estimates that more than 7 million people hold a second job.

For the first time,large numbers of people say they want to

cut back on working hours

even if it means earning less money.

But most employers are unwilling to let them do so.

The government, which has stepped back from its traditional

role as a regulator of work time should take steps to make shorter hours possible.

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

12.Q:In which country do industrial employees work the longest hours?

13.Q:How do employed Americans manage to work more hours?

14.Q:Why do corporations press the employees to work longer

hours according to the speaker?

15.Q:What does the speaker say many Americans prefer to do?

Section C

Directions:

In this section,

you will hear three recordings of lectures or talks

followed by three or four questions.

The recordings will be played 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.

Recording  One

Hi, everybody. This week, we made it official-I'm going to Cuba.

When Michelle and I go to Havana next month,

it will be the first visit of a U.S. president to Cuba in nearly 90 years.

And it builds on the decision I made more than a year ago

to begin a new chapter in our relationship with the people of Cuba.

You see, I believe that the best way to advance American interests and values,

and the best way to help the Cuban people improve their lives,

is through engagement-by normalizing relations between

our governments and increasing the contacts between our peoples.

I've always said that change won't come to Cuba overnight. But as Cuba opens up,

it will mean more opportunity and resources for ordinary Cubans.

And we're starting to see some progress.

Today, the American flag flies over our embassy in Havana, and our

diplomats are interacting more broadly with the Cuban people.

More Americans are visiting Cuba than at any time in the

last 50 years-Cuban-American families; American students, teachers,

humanitarian volunteers, faith communities-all forging new ties and friendships

that are bringing our countries closer.And when direct flights and ferries resume,

even more of our citizens will have the chance to travel and work

together and know each other.

American companies are starting to do business in Cuba,

helping to nurture private enterprise and giving Cuban entrepreneurs new opportunities.

With new Wi-Fi hotspots, more Cubans are starting to go online

and get information from the outside world. In both our countries,

there's overwhelming support for this new relationship. And in Cuba today,

for the first time in a half century, there is hope for a different future,

especially among Cuba's young people who have such extraordinary

talent and potential just waiting to be unleashed.

My visit will be an opportunity to keep moving forward. I'll meet with President

Castro to discuss how we can continue normalizing relations,

including making it easier to trade and easier for Cubans to access

the Internet and start their own businesses.

As I did when I met President Castro last year,I'll speak candidly about our serious

differences with the Cuban government, including on democracy and human rights.

I'll reaffirm that the United States will continue to stand up for universal

values like freedom of speech and assembly and religion.

Thanks everybody. And to the people of Cuba-nos vemos en La Habana.

Questions 16 to 19 are based on the recording you have just heard.

16.Q:When will the speaker visit Cuba?

17.Q:According to the speaker, which of the following statements is true?

18.Q:When did the speaker meet President Castro?

19.Q:What will the speaker speak bluntly with the Cuban government?

Recording  Two

Women in northern European nations are closest to equality with men on wages,

education, and health. That is the finding of a report by the World Economic Forum.

The United States ranked 28th. On Friday,

President Barack Obama announced the government will require large businesses

to report how much they pay men and women. The data will be used to

target companies that pay women less to do the same jobs.

According to the World Economic Forum report, women worldwide

continue to lag behind men on wages.

Based on current trends, they will need 126 years to catch up, according to the report.

Women are making progress. But they still only earn what men did 10 years ago,

say the report's authors.

The report measures the gender gap for women in 145 nations for health,

education, economic opportunity, and political power.

Women have not achieved equality in any of the 145 nations included

in the survey, says the report.

Women came closest to equality in four Northern European nations-Iceland,

Norway, Finland and Sweden. Ireland ranks No. 5.

At the bottom of the women's gender ratings are Yemen, Pakistan, Syria,

Chad, Iran and Jordan.

More women than men are attending colleges in 97 nations.

But women make up a majority of skilled workers in only 68 nations.Women control

the majority of government and political positions in only four.

At last week's World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Sheryl Sandberg,

chief operating officer at Facebook, spoke about gender equality.

“The reason to work towards equality-whether woman or man-is that it is better for you,”

Sandberg said. “We should be doing this not because it's the right thing,

but because it's the smart thing. ... So do it because it will help you.”

The World Economic Forum completed its worldwide 2015 gender gap survey in November. I'm Anne Ball.

Questions 20 to 22 are based on the recording you have just heard.

20.Q:According to the World Economic Forum, women of which nations are closest to equality?

21.Q:How many years do women need to catch up with men on wages according to the report?

22.Q:When did The world Economic Forum complete its worldwide 2015 gender gap survey?

Recording  Three

There are many theories about the beginning of drama in ancient Greece.

The one most widely accepted today is based on the assumption that drama evolved from ritual.

The argument for this view goes as follows. In the beginning,

human beings viewed the natural forces of the world—even the seasonal changes —as unpredictable,

and they sought through various means to control these unknown and fearful powers.

Those measures which appeared to bring the desired results were then retained and repeated

until they hardened into fixed rituals. Eventually stories arose which explained or veiled

the mysteries of the rites. As time passed some rituals were abandoned, but the stories,

later called myths, persisted and provided material for art and drama.

Those who believe that drama evolved out of ritual also argue that those rites contained

the seed of theater because music, dance, masks, and costumes were almost always used. Furthermore,

a suitable site had to be provided for performances and when the entire community did not participate,

a clear division was usually made between the “acting area” and the “auditorium”.

In addition, there were performers, and, since considerable importance was attached to

avoiding mistakes in the enactment of rites, religious leaders usually assumed that task.

Wearing masks and costumes, they often impersonated other people, animals, or supernatural beings,

and mimed the desired effect—success in hunt or battle, the coming rain,

the revival of the Sun—as an actor might.

Eventually such dramatic representations were separated from religious activities.

Another theory traces the theater's origin from the human interest in storytelling.

According to these ties, tales (about the hunt, war, or other feats) are gradually elaborated,

at first through the use of impersonation, action, and dialogue by a narrator and then through

the assumption of each of the roles by a different personA closely related theory traces theater

to those dances that are primarily rhythmical and gymnastic or that are

imitations of animal movements and sounds.

Questions 23 to 25 are based on the recording you have just heard.

23.Q:Where did drama begin according to many theories?

24.Q:What is the route of drama's evolution according to another theory?

25.Q:Why is drama related to dances?

This is the end of listening comprehension.