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is the best answer. Then mark the corresponding letter on the Answer Sheet with a single line through the centre.
11. The World Health Organization says that every year more than 1.7 million people die as a result of unsafe drinking water, making it the leading cause of death and disease around the world. Most of the victims are young children, the vast majority of whom die of illnesses caused by organisms that thrive in water sources contaminated by raw sewage.
Question: Who are the main victims of unsafe drinking water? 12. Six thousand delegates descended on the U.N.’s New York
headquarters Monday for a high-level meeting to reaffirm commitments to women’s rights. The gathering—dubbed
Beijing plus Ten—is devoted to assessing the progress made since the Fourth Conference on Women in the Chinese capital in 1995.
Question: When and where was the Fourth Conference on Women held? 13. New York is the world capital for business and one of the bigger businesses is toys. This past week over 1,500 toymakers from 31 nations converged on the Big Apple to display their wares to retail surveyors. The sheer volume of toys on display at the four-day American International Toy Fair in midtown Manhattan might weary the most energetic child, if any children had been allowed to attend the event, which they were not. The thousands of grown-ups who attended were there to size up the latest offerings from the $30 billion a year American toy industry. Question: Were children allowed to attend the Toy Fair?
14. There are a record 691 US dollar billionaires, according to Forbes magazine. Between them they have a fortune of 2.2 trillion dollars. That figure is slightly more than the
annual value of all goods and services produced in China and India, the two most populous countries. The highest
concentration of the ultra-rich is in New York, followed by Moscow and San Francisco and then London and Los Angeles. But in total the very wealthy live in forty-seven different nations, with Iceland, Kazakstan, Ukraine and Poland entering the list for the first time.
Question: Which countries’ annual value of all goods and services is almost equal to the fortune of all the billionaires in the world?
15. Former Presidents George Bush and Bill Clinton have met Sri Lankan children who survived December’s devastating tsunami. The former political rivals are assessing how the U.S. can help rebuild affected countries. Young survivors of the deadly Tsunami sang and
performed dances during the visit by George Bush and Bill Clinton to a trauma center on Sri Lanka’s southern coast.
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Others drew crayon pictures of their terrifying experiences to show to the former U.S. presidents.
Question: Whom did the two former U.S. Presidents meet according to the news?
16. Moscow is widely regarded as having only an outside chance of staging the Games. Although the city is thriving, it suffers from a lack of hotel accommodation, transport problems, including an aging airport and questions of security. But the city and the Russian government are prepared to make major investments to secure the 2012 Olympics. Ten billion dollars would be available to transform the city’s infrastructure, including a new metro system.
Question: What problem is Moscow faced with in bidding for the 2012 Olympic Games?
17. Howard Stringer has already made a name for himself as head of Sony Corporation in the United States, and as chairman of its electronics unit. However, the company as a whole, best known for its Playstation portable video games console, its Walkman personal music machines and its Vaio computers, has been losing market share to innovative new ideas from competitors. These include Samsung of South Korea and Apple Computer, whose iPod personal music system strays right into the Walkman territory that Sony once claimed for itself.
Question: Which company does Howard Stringer work for?
18. The red carpet will be rolled out in Hollywood when the Academy Awards, known as the Oscars, are presented later this month. Oscars for scientific and technical achievements have already been handed out, with a little less fanfare but just as much excitement for the winners. This event was not in Hollywood but in nearby Pasadena, where engineers and scientists who make technical innovations in the movie industry get their acknowledgment.
Question: Who was awarded Oscars for scientific and technical achievements?
19. Scientists have known for some time that a severely reduced food intake makes some animals live longer. Now,researchers are getting closer to understanding why. They say the finding may also lead to a similar understanding in people, and a treatment for diseases like diabetes. Question: What do we learn from the news?
20. U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice’s talks with India’s foreign minister covered regional defense issues,including the possible sale of U.S. fighter jets to India’s long-standing rival, Pakistan. India is the first stop on
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Ms. Rice’s six-nation tour of Asia—her first trip to the region since becoming Secretary of State.
Question: Which country did Ms. Rice stop first in her
six-nation tour of Asia since becoming US Secretary of State? Section D
Directions：In this section, you will hear 3 passages. At the end of each passage, you will hear 3 or 4 questions. 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 the Answer Sheet with a single line through the centre. Passage One
One of the oldest customs of mankind is the celebration of the New Year. Some people say the Chinese were the first to start it, others believe it was the ancient Germans, and still others claim it was the Romans.
We know that the Chinese have always had a great festival at the time of their New Year, which comes later than ours. The Chinese New Year festival lasts several days. The ancient Germans established a New Year festival because of the changing seasons. The German winter began in about the middle of November. It was the time when they gathered the harvest.
Because everybody came together at this time for the happy occasion, and because it meant they would have a period of rest from work afterwards. They would make merry and have a great holiday. Even though it was November, they considered it the beginning of the New Year! When the Romans conquered Europe, they changed this time of celebration to the first of January.
From then on the coming of the New Year was a symbol of a new life with new hope for the future. This custom and this meaning have lasted to this day. We celebrate the New Year hoping it will bring us a good life.
Questions 21 to 23 are based on the passage you have just heard. 21. What is the author’s nationality?
22. Who are NOT mentioned to have started the celebration of New Year? 23. Why do people celebrate the New Year festival nowadays? Passage Two
According to a recent poll, a large majority of Americans are in favor of retaining the present 55-mile-an-hour speed limit. This speed was imposed in 1973 when fuel shortages became crucial. Seventy-five percent of the persons surveyed think that the law is a good one. They point to the decrease in the highway death rate or to the saving of fuel as reasons for their opinion. Easterners and older people, rather than young adults, are more likely to argue for retention of the law.
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Likewise, only 23 percent of the people surveyed favor a higher speed limit for trucks. The trucking industry contends that truck engines work more efficiently at higher speeds and that trucks traveling at higher speeds reach markets more quickly, thereby saving consumers money. Some of the
persons polled argue that trucks on certain highways are already involved in a disproportionate number of fatal highway accidents.
Questions 24 to 26 are based on the passage you have just heard. 24. What was the principle reason for the original imposition of the 55-mile-per-hour speed limit?
25. Which of the following are less likely to favor retaining the 55-mile-per-hour speed limit?
26. Why do truckers want a higher speed limit for trucks? Passage Three
Now, we’ll bring you a special news bulletin.
The three astronauts have splashed down safely in the Pacific Ocean, a hundred and forty-five miles southwest of Hawaii, only six miles from the aircraft carrier that was dispatched for the recovery mission. The space module floated down on three parachutes and landed right-side-up in the water.
Mission Control in Houston confirmed that Parachutes and landing systems had functioned properly. Mission Control has advised that the
astronauts to remain inside the module until they are lifted aboard the aircraft carrier.
An air force helicopter is already hovering above the module and seven divers are in the process of attaching lines to the spacecraft.
The astronauts have returned after fifteen days in space. Possibly one of the most important accomplishments of this mission was the extensive photographing of the Sun’s surface.
After two days of physical examinations and observation, the astronauts will fly to Houston to reunite with their families.
Ladies and Gentlemen, we have confirmation that the astronauts are now aboard the aircraft carrier. They seem to be in very good conditions and they prepare for the welcoming ceremonies.
Questions 27 to 30 are based on the passage you have just heard. 27. According to the reporter, where did the spacecraft splash down? 28. How many divers were in the process of attaching lines to the spacecraft?
29. How long had the astronauts been in space?
30. According to the reporter, where are the astronauts now? Questions 27 to 30 are based on the passage you have just heard.
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27. A. 6 miles from Hawaii. B. On an aircraft carrier. C. In the Atlantic Ocean. D. 145 miles from Hawaii.
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28. A. 17. B. 70. C. 7. D. 27. 29. A. For two days. B. For fifteen days.
C. For twelve days D. For three days.
30. A. Aboard the aircraft carrier. B. In Houston.
C. Aboard the helicopter. D. In the space module.
Part II Vocabulary and Structure (5 minutes, 10 points)
Directions: There are 10 incomplete sentences in this part. For each blank there are four choices marked A, B, C and D. Choose the one that best completes the sentence. Then mark the corresponding letter on the Answer Sheet with a single line through the centre.
31. Although he had looked through all the reference materials on the subject, he still found it hard to understand this point and his tutor’s explanation only ________ to his confusion. A. extended B. amounted C. added D. turned
32. The professor could hardly find sufficient grounds________ his arguments in favour of the new theory.
A. on which to base B. which to base on C. to base on D. to be based on
33. These reference books, which you can get at any bookshop in the city, will provide you ________ you need.
A. all of information B. all of the informations C. all the informations D. all the information
34. Apart from taking care of her children, she has to take on such heavy ________ housework as carrying water and firewood. A. time-consumed B. timely-consumed C. time-consuming D. timely-consuming
35. The man to whom we handed the forms pointed out that they had not been ________ filled in.
A . consequently B. regularly C. comprehensively D. properly
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