Have you ever heard of bungee jumping? It is a rather thrilling and breath-taking sport of leaping from a high place with a rubber band tied around some part of one's body. The places you jump from can be a bridge, crane, tower, or even a cliff.
As we already know, the modern day bungee was started in England by Oxford Dangerous Sports Club. It was later commercialized most successfully in New Zealand, although the name of the sport was changed into \other European countries, as well as in the United States and Japan, in particular, among young people who are looking for thrill and excitement.
There are several ways to jump. The most common ways to attach yourself to the rubber band are by using a body harness, or a leg harness, that is, to tie the rubber band to your body, or to tie the rubber band to your legs only. If you're jumping with just a body harness, you are afforded quite a bit of freedom to move around. Your arms and legs are free to move around. The rubber band will be attached to a point close to your belly. As you jump, you can do many flips on the way down. If you're jumping with a leg harness, either one of your legs or both of your legs, will be tied to the rubber band. The leg harness can really give you the feeling of flying. And it is especially favored for watcher touchdowns, and swallow dives. You take a light slip away from the platform of a high place. Your arms stretched out wide, and soar like a bird down towards the earth.
One more thing, if you intend to try bungee jumping, most countries require that you be over the age of 18, and join a bungee jumping club, or be properly and duly instructed for the sport.
【大意】本文讲述了蹦极这一极限运动的形式、起源、方式和参加条件。蹦极者用橡皮筋绑住身体的一部分从高处往下跳。这一活动起源于牛津极限运动俱乐部，然后在新西兰得到成功的商业化发展。蹦极的方法主要有两种：用橡皮筋绑住身体或绑住腿。前者的绑法令你在跳的时候手脚自由，而后者能带给你飞翔的感觉。参加的要求是年龄在18岁以上，参加相关的俱乐部或受过正规的指导。
【解析】
23. Where was bungee jumping started?
答案为C)。细节题，出处为As we already know, the modern day bungee was started in England by Oxford Dangerous Sports Club。
24 Why are young people today especially interested in the sport of bungee jumping?
答案为A)。细节题，文中提到among young people who are looking for thrill and excitement。
25. According to the talk, which way of jumping can give you the feeling of flying like a bird?
答案为D)。细节题。出处是The leg harness can really give you the feeling of flying.
26. Which of the following is not required in taking up the sport of bungee jumping?
答案为D)。推理题。从One more thing, if you intend to try bungee jumping, most countries require that you be over the age of 18, and join a bungee jumping club, or be properly and duly instructed for the sport这句知道参加的条件，那么没提到的就是答案。
Questions 27-30 【原文】
M: Patricia, You are now a third year college student at the end of your second term. What are you doing recently?
W: I'm doing comparative literature. At the moment, I'm comparing English, French and Russian novels. We write papers on our work. And then about 10 of us meet with our professor and read
them and discuss them.
M: Is this what you call the seminar system in the universities?
W: Yes. And it works, because we get on well with the professors and lecturers. Some of them are much older than us. And they don't mind at all if we disagree with them.
M: You are lucky. When I was a college student, we had classes. But we hardly ever ask questions or discussed anything. It was partly our fault. We were a dull lot, but so were the professors. They didn't seem to be able to do anything but lecture. Besides, the course itself was so out of date, so were the textbooks. I think students ought to have a say in planning and changing their programs of study.
W: Things have changed a lot since then. Many universities nowadays are experimenting with new ideas and new subjects.
M: I can remember worrying about examinations all day long, especially during this time of the year. At that time, everything depended on how well a student does in his finals at the end of his academic year. The uncertainties were surely a great strain on us.
W: Well. We don't. find so great a strain now. We have final exams though. But we also get marks for the work we do during our three years at university. These marks will count with degree. Then we will play an important part in deciding whether we get first, second or third class honors.
M: I said you are lucky. You surely are.
【大意】这个对话对比了现在和过去的大学教育。女士比男士年轻，她在读大三，正在进行比较文学研究，采纳的是\研讨会体系\，这令男士颇为羡慕，因为在他上大学时，课程老套，老师只会上课，学生只懂听课而不会提问，一切成绩取决于期末考试。相比之下，现在的大学有很多新的理念和课程，评价体系也大为改变。
【解析】
27. What subject is the woman doing recently?
答案是C)。细节题。女士在对话开头就提到I'm doing comparative literature。
28. According to the conversation, what is a seminar?
答案B)。推理题。对话中女士先提到We write papers on our work. And then about 10 of us meet with our professor and read them and discuss them，然后男士又补充一句Is this what you call the seminar system in the universities?，女士给出了肯定回答。
29. What does the man think of the professors at his university?
答案是A)。细节题。男士抱怨过去的大学教育时说道We were a dull lot, but so were the professors（我们当时很无趣，可教授们也是这样）。
30. What made the man worry at the end of each academic year?
答案是C)。细节题。出处为I can remember worrying about the examinations all day long, especially during this time of the year。
Part C: Listening and Translation
1. Sentence Translation
(1) If the price of fuel continues to be increasing as the result of global oil shortage, countries all over the world, including the oil-producing ones, will suffer.
【关键词汇】global oil shortage（全球石油危机）。oil-producing（产油的）。
【辨音难点】注意price of fuel中的fuel一词发音不要与few混淆。
【解 析】难点：背景知识。这句句子除了上面提到的一个发音难点之外，并无生词，如果考生对于石油危机的背景知识比较熟悉，这个话题应该比较容易把握，因为其中的因果关系是我们耳熟能详的，只需稍加理解，便不难写出整句。
常见的问题是对于including the oil-producing ones这个词组反应较慢。
【参考译文】如果能源价格由于全球石油短缺而不断攀升，世界各国，包括产油国，都会
遭受损失。
(2) Physical fitness is the result of many factors, good medical care, proper nutrition, adequate rest and relaxation, and sensible personal habits, plus one very essential factor, regular physical exercise.
【关键词汇】physical fitness（身体健康）。proper nutrition（适当的营养）。adequate rest（足够的休息）。sensible（明智的）。
【辨音难点】句子开头的fitness一词读音较为模糊。
【解 析】难点：修饰词的堆砌。本段是典型的对数条列举进行笔记，注意在笔记时不妨抛开good, proper, adequate, sensible等修饰词，重点记录medical care, nutrition, rest, personal habits等实词，在写下译文的过程中合理补足就可以了。
【参考译文】身体健康由很多因素决定，包括医疗条件良好，营养适当，休息放松充足，个人习惯合理等，加上非常重要的一条，定期进行锻炼。