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

Two ancient statues stolen from Italian museums in the nineteen eighties 

have been returned to Rome.One of them, 

a marble female torso, was early recovered after an Italian policeman 

who was on holiday in the US spotted it in a gallery window.

From Rome, here is Duncan Kennedy: 

It was during a stroll down the Madison Avenue in New York

 that Michele Speranza made this discovery.

He said he remembered it from photos in the police data bank.

Mr.Speranza took his own photo and looked it up when he returned to Italy.

Dating from the 1st century, it had been stolen from a museum 

south of Rome in nineteen eighty eight.

At a news conference police also revealed a second stolen item.

A small bronze statue of Zues, 

was spotted in a sutlery`s catalogue, and traced to its owner.

1.A marble female torso was  recovered by an Italian policeman.

2.At a news conference police also  a second stolen item.

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

News Item 2

Political tensions in Zimbabwe and a stand off in Madagascar 

between the rebel soldiers and the authorities are expected 

to dominate the summit of the Southern African regional body,

 SADC, in Botswana this weekend.Coronana reports from Johannesburg: 

Although regional leaders have gathered in the Botswanan capital 

Gaborone to witness the opening of a new headquarters for 

the regional body SADC is being used as 

an opportunity to address pressing political problems, 

the turbulent situation in Madagascar has been forced 

onto the agenda of the week which is seen in distant 

elements in the military involved in a stand off with the authorities.

And on Zimbabwe, president Jacob Zuma of South Africa is expected 

to report back come progressed implement outstanding issues on 

the agreement which underpins Zimbabwe`s shaky power sharing government. 

3.The summit of the Southern African regional body is going to have a conference in .

4.The regional leaders have gathered to , originally.

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

News Item 3

A hologram is a threedimensional image an image that appears to have height, width and depth.

More than thirty years ago, Princess Leia gave her famous holographic plea for

 help in the original “Star Wars” movie.Since then, 

holograms have become bigger, better and more widely used.

Now, researchers have developed a holographic telepresence system.

Traditional telepresence systems are used in video conferencing.

They present twodimensional images.

But the new system might be able to send a moving 3D image of a person 

over great distances   and show it in close to real time.

Nasser Peyghambarian is the lead researcher for the project 

at the University of Arizona in Tucson.He says holographic technology

 can make people appear in places where they have never been.

Nasser Peyghambarian: 

“People can see you just the way you are as if you`ve been there.”

With the new system, the image is refreshed so often 

that it seems to look like a person`s natural movement.

An important part of the system is a screen that can refresh 

the holographic image every two seconds.

The screen is made from a special photorefractive material.

In experiments, the researchers placed sixteen cameras in a half circle.

They took pictures of people from different positions.

Then the researchers sent the images to a different place over the Internet.

Lasers at the other end received the pictures 

and produced holographs on the screen.

Mr.Peyghambarian says the new material permits 

the images to be continually written, erased and replaced.

5.The screen is made from a special  material.

6.An important part of the system is .

7.Which of the following statements is not true about the new system? 

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 haer the two long conversations

Conversation One

M: Do you think there`s discrimination against women in England today?

W: Certainly, and not just in education and work either,

 in many other fields as well. 

The tax situation for women is very unfair, for example.

M: Are women better off in other countries then?

W: It depends on the country.

There`s certainly much less discrimination in Scandinavia,

 and maybe in America, too.

M: Do you think the position of English women will improve?

W: In some ways it will of course. 

I`m sure more women will go out to work in the next 20 years.

 But the women have a much greater problem than this to solve.

M: What`s that?

W: The problem of men`s attitudes. 

We can earn more money in the future,

 but I`m not sure we can change men` attitudes. 

You see, most men really think that women are inferior.

 Maybe we are physically weaker, 

but I don`t think this means we are inferior. 

Then there`s another problem.

M: Yes?

W: The problem of women`s attitudes. Lots of women are unhappy with their present situation, 

but most of them probably don`t want to fight for change. 

It could be that the women`s liberation movement 

has to spend more time changing women`s attitudes 

than it spends in changing men`s.

M: One last question, some supporters of the woman`s liberation 

movement believed that marriages should be abolished. You agree?

W: No, I don`t. It can`t happen. 

What may and should happen is that we teach men to spend 

more time looking after children and doing housework.

8：How many questions doe`s the man ask the woman?

9: Where are women said to be less discriminated against?

10:What will happen in England in 20 years according to the conversation?

11:What does the woman think the women`s liberation movement should do?

Conversation 2

M: Cheers, Shirley

W: Cheers, Paul. What a lovely place for a business lunch.

 I hope I can concentrate in this heat.

M: I will be sure you will when I tell you about my ideas.

W: You know, I must say I was pleased to hear from you, 

but from what you said on the phone, everything is so sudden.

M: Well, my father in law, who is also the managing director of J.R. Motives,

 has given me two weeks to prepare a report on the possibility of moving into the export market.

W: Ah, now, just one thing Paul.

 Have you really thought the whole idea through?

M: Of course I have.

W: Now the key thing in the whole operation is to get a good import agent, 

and you say the bank will help?

M: I`m almost sure of it.

W: Preliminary studies are very good, Paul. 

But if the product can`t sell, 

then there`s little use in expanding the factory.

M: Yes, I realize that, Shirley. But we have a very good product. 

The chief designer has just completed a new improved model.

W: I know your bikes have a very good reputation here,

 but you have to build up a reputation and mark it in Africa.

M: Yes, of course. But the immediate problem is that 

my father in law wants a detailed report by next Monday.

 Two weeks isn`t enough time to prepare a report, so I need your help.

W: OK, Paul, you`ve convinced me.I must say I admire your determination.

12:Where does the conversation most probably take place?

13:What do we learn about the men`s father in law?

14:What does the woman think is important in the whole operation?

15:What does the woman admire in the man?

Section C. Directions:

In this section, you will hear three 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 1 with a single line through the centre.

Passage One 

Scientists know how twins were born, now though, 

 they are trying to explain how being half of the biological pair influences a twin`s identity. 

They want to know why many identical twins make similar choices even when they don`t live near each other.

 For example, Jim Springer and Jim Louis are identical twins. 

They were separated when they were only 4 months old. 

 The two Jims grew up in different families and did not meet for 39 years.

 When they finally met, they discovered some surprising similarities between them. 

Both men were married twice, their first wives were named Linda, and their second wives were both named Betty. 

Both twins named their first sons James Allen. 

Scientists want to know what influences personality.

 They study pairs of identical twins who grew up in different surroundings,

 like Jim Springer and Jim Louis. These twins help scientists understand the 

connection between environment and biology.

 Researchers at the University of Minnesota,

 study 350 sets of identical twins who did not grow up together.

 They discovered many similarities in their personalities. 

Scientists believed that personality characteristics such as friendliness, 

shyness and fears are not result of environment. 

These characteristics are probably inherited. Scientists continue to study identical twins 

because they are uncertain about them and have many questions. For example, 

they want to know ‘can twins really communicate without speaking`, 

‘can one twin really feel another twin`s pain’.

 Perhaps with more research, scientists will find the answers.

16:What are scientists trying to explain according to the passage?

17:What do we learn about the twin Jims?

18:Why are scientists interested in studying identical twins raised in different families?

Passage 2

Today I`m going to talk about tents.  Camping is still one of the cheapest ways of having a holiday. And each year, 

over 3 million people take camping vacations, either here in Britain or abroad, mostly on the Continent. Obviously, 

camping can`t be as comfortable as living in a permanent house,

 but modern tents can be very comfortable indeed, with windows,

 bedrooms, kitchens and sitting rooms.

The most popular tent sold in Britain is the frame tent with

 two bedrooms and sleeping accommodation for four people. 

There is usually an outer tent of water proofed fabric and 

a lighter inner tent or tents with a built in groundsheet. 

The outer tent fits over the frame work. This is made of metal poles which are fitted together.

 The inner tent is attached to this frame. Generally,

 the inner tent is about half the area of the outer tent. 

The other half of the outer tent is the living area. 

This doesn`t usually have a ground sheet but you can buy one to fit, 

though it costs extra. The ordinary four bed frame tent doesn`t usually have a separate kitchen area,

 but the larger ones often do. 

You can buy a kitchen extension for many tents, 

and it`s worth buying one if you plan to stay camping in one place for more than a few days.

19:What does the speaker say about camping? 

20:What does the passage tell us about the most popular tent sold in Britain?

21:What does the speaker suggest buying if you plan to stay 

camping in one place for more than a few days?

Passage 3

Andorra, one of the smallest countries in the world, 

is located high in the mountains between France and Spain. 

 The country covers only 179 square miles. 

That is less than half the size of New York City. 

High, rocky mountains surround Andorra. 

 Until the 1930s, travelers had difficulty reaching the country.

 Up until that time, people in Andorra lived in the way they had lived for centuries.

 Most Andorrans worked as farmers. Things did not change quickly. 

 When roads were built from France and Spain to Andorra in the 1930s, 

life picked up speed. Tourist began to visit the small country.

 These tourists brought in a lot of money to spend while visiting.

 Many people in Andorra found new jobs in shops or hotels. 

These changes helped to keep young people in Andorra. 

There were many more jobs than before the roads were built. 

Today tourists provide 80 to 90 percent of Andorra`s income.

 More than a million people visit each year. 

They come to view the rough mountains.

 They enjoy the quiet way of life.

 Most people are also interested in the ancient buildings. 

There are many shops for tourists to browse in, 

clothes, watches, wines and other items are sold at low prices in Andorra. 

Import fees are low, so tourists enjoy the inexpensive shopping. 

Most of the businesses in Andorra are owned by its citizens. 

There are not many foreign businesses. 

Some Andorrans still farm and raise sheep and cattle.

 But most are now involved with the tourist trade.

22:How big does the speaker say Andorra is?

23:What can be said about Andorra before the 1930s?

24:What event changed the situation in Andorra?

25:What do most people in Andorra do nowadays?