D. They were more reliable than other ships of the 1860s. Passage 2
4. What does the speaker mainly discuss?
A. The diagnosis of asthma. B. How to prevent an asthma attack. C. What asthma is and what happens during an asthma attack. D. They types of medicine available to an asthmatic.
5. According to the speaker, what part of asthmatic?s body is particularly sensitive? A. Inner ears. B. Bronchial tubes. C. Sinuses. D. Tonsils. 6. What does the speaker say about the campers who have asthma ?
A. They shouldn?t come to the camp. B. They must limit their activities.
C. They will be seen by a doctor every day. D. They should bring their medicine to the camp. 7. Why does the speaker mention cigarette smoke?
A. It bothers people with asthma. B. Cigarettes aren?t allowed at the camp. C. It pollutes the air in the tents. D. People who smoke don?t come to the camp. Passage 3
8. What is the speaker?s job?
A. Explaining the campus architecture to visitors. B. Providing orientation for new campus employees. C. Familiarizing new students with the campus. D. Advising students about which classes to take.
9. What does the speaker suggest the listeners keep with them?
A. Registration forms. B. A library card. C. A list of classes. D. A campus map. 10. Where does the speaker say the listeners will spend a lot of time? A. In the registrar?s office. B. In the library. C. In the math building. D. In the cafeteria.
11. According to the speaker, what must the listeners do on their own? A. Move into their dormitories. B. Find their classrooms.
C. Memorize campus landmarks. D. Complete their registration materials. Passage 4
12. What is the main subject of this talk? A. Rock formations in the Nevada desert. B. Graduate studies in anthropology.
C. Excavation techniques used in archaeology. D. Prehistoric desert people of Nevada.
13. What point does the speaker make about the prehistoric people of the Nevada Desert? A. They planned their migrations. B. They didn?t travel far from their base camps. C. They hid from their enemies in caves. D. They planted seeds near their camps. 14. Why didn?t people live in the cave described by the speaker?
A. They had trouble finding it. B. Lack of light made it impossible. C. It was too small for a group to fit into.
D. Items stored by others took up most of the space. 15. What have archaeologists found in the cave?
A. Prehistoric desert people. B. Migratory animals. C. Food supplies and tools. D. Growing plants.
16. Why does the speaker show a photo to the class?
A. To illustrate the size of some objects. B. To introduce the next assignment. C. To show some artifact on display at the campus museum. D. To demonstrate his photographic ability. Passage 5
17. What does the professor mainly discuss? A. The development of the modern skyscraper. B. The skyscraper?s effect on urban areas.
C. Problems with future skyscraper construction. D. Safety regulations for skyscraper design.
18. What does the professor say about the invention of the elevator? A. It created design problems for architects.
B. It was needed for transporting construction materials. C. It enabled architects to design taller office buildings. D. It made skyscrapers more expensive to build. 19. What will the professor probably discuss next?
A. Projected changes in the building code. B. Design features of modern skyscrapers. C. Strategies for reducing traffic congestion.
D. Ways of reducing the danger of living in skyscrapers. Passage 6
20. What does the speaker mainly discuss?
A. The geological features of Nebraska and Texas. B. Fluctuations in rainfall amounts in the desert. C. An inventive irrigation method.
D. A new solution to an environmental problem. 21. What benefits have resulted from the technique?
A. New varieties of corn have been developed. B. The crops need less fertilizer. C. Farmers can now monitor crop growth. D. Crop yields are much greater. 22. What is happening to ground water?
A. It?s being drained from Nebraska to Texas. B. It?s being pumped out. C. It?s becoming contaminated with oil. D. It?s becoming much warmer. 23. What does the speaker imply about ground water?
A. It can be seen from an airplane. B. It is most likely polluted.
C. It?s usually a bright green color. D. The supply may be exhausted soon. Passage 7
24. What is the main purpose of the talk?
A. To discuss how microbes affect plants. B. To introduce the main categories of microbes. C. To demonstrate the use of a microscope. D. To describe the structure of bacteria. 25. Why did the speaker take a soil sample from his garden? A. To show how common microbes are.
B. To prove how well his gardening methods work. C. To provide an example of an uncommon mold. D. To diagnose why his plants are sick.
26. What does the speaker imply about yeasts?
A. They are difficult to see in the slide.
B. There are an usual number of them in the sample. C. He finds them more interesting than other microbes. D. They are beneficial to people.
27. What does the speaker ask the class to look at during the talk? A. A photograph of his garden. B. Microscope slides.
C. Drawings of microbes. D. A chart of soil components. Passage 8
28. Where is Harvard University?
A. In Cambridge, England. B. In Cambridge, Massachusetts. C. In Boston, Massachusetts. D. In the state of Cambridge.
29. Who were first admitted into Harvard University when it was founded? A. Men. B. Women. C. Young people, D. Both Men and women.
30. What is the number of books in the library of Harvard compared with that of those in the library of Cambridge?
A. It is much larger. B. It is much smaller. C It is a little larger. D. It is a little smaller. Passage 9
31. What does the speaker mainly discuss?
A. The duties of a ski patroller. B. The health benefits of an outdoor job.
C. What ski patrollers teach skiers. D. The importance of first-aid techniques in a ski patrol. 32. According to the speaker, what is one advantage of working on a ski patrol?
A. High salary. B. Job security. C. Job satisfaction. D. Employee health insurance. 33. What does the speaker say she likes most about giving ski lessons?
A. It provides an extra source of income. B. It improves her own skiing techniques. C. It gives her the opportunity to meet people. D. It helps her stay in shape.
34. According to the speaker, what is one of the main responsibilities of a ski patroller? A. To predict weather patterns. B. To maintain safe skiing conditions. C. To help skiers to improve their physical conditions. D. To compete in ski competitions and races. Passage 10
35. What does the speaker mainly discuss? A. The safety record of the railroad industry.
B. The reasons railroad regulations were changed. C. The financing of railroad construction. D. The evolution of the railroad industry.
36. What development caused a decline in the use of railroads?
A. The use of oversized freight containers. B. Safety problems with railroad tracks. C. The growth of the automotive industry.
D. The high cost of meeting environmental regulations.
37. What is one reason why the railroad industry is gaining public support? A. It contributes less to air pollution than other kinds of transportation. B. Its competitors are inconsiderate of customers. C. It preserves a traditional way of doing business. D. It creates personal fortunes for investors.
38. According to the speaker, what expense does trucking create for the public? A. The hiring of extra traffic patrollers. B. The creation of government agencies. C. The construction of new tunnels. D. The repair of public roads. Passage 11
39. What is the talk mainly about?
A. The diet of sailors. B. The arrangement of museum exhibits. C. The classification of large birds. D. An extinct bird. 40. Why was it easy to capture auks?
A. They were poor swimmers. B. They couldn?t fly.
C. Their bright colors made them easy to be seen. D. They moved in large groups. 41. Why did the sailors hunt the auk?
A. It was a pest. B. They needed food. C. They needed exercise. D. They wanted scientific specimens. 42. Where did the auk live?
A. On tropical islands. B. In rain forests. C. In cold ocean areas. D. In grassland regions. Passage 12
43. Who is the speaker?
A. A visitor to the park. B. A presidential campaign workers.
C. A park service employee. D. A tour guide from a travel agency. 44. According to the speaker, who originated the idea of public park? A. Several explorers. B. Representatives of Congress. C. President Grant. D. A group of animal lovers.
45. What does the speaker say about Yellow Stone National Park?
A. It was the first national park. B. It was the first region explored by pioneers.
C. It is not accessible to everyone. D. It is not managed by the National Park Service. 46. According to the speaker, what is one of the duties of a park ranger? A. To build fires. B. To conduct scientific studies.
C. To train other staff members. D. To guide nature walks. Passage 13
47. What is the purpose of the talk?
A. To review material covered in an earlier lecture. B. To change students? approach to writing. C. To point out an example of good writing. D. To give an assignment for the next class.
48. What should be the students? main goal as they revise their work?
A. To correct spelling and grammar. B. To make smooth transitions between ideas. C. To add more specific details and examples. D. To improve overall effectiveness. 49. When should the first draft be turned in?
A. Within the first week of class. B. Two weeks before the final due date. C. By the end of the term. D. A week after the last class. Passage 14
50. What is the purpose of the balloon launch?
A. To commemorate a historic flight. B. To try our eighty new balloons. C. To recruit balloonists from all over the United States.
D. To determine whether helium balloons are better than hot-air balloons. 51. What problem might today?s pilots encounter? A. They may not be able to inflate their balloons. B. There are too many balloons to launch at once.
C. Their flight pattern could be uncertain due to the wind. D. They?ll lose money if some balloons can?t take off. 52. What does the speaker imply about helium balloons?
A. They?re expensive. B. They were the first kind of balloons ever used. C. They?re faster than air balloons. D. They?re popular in the United States. Passage 15
53. What is the main topic of the passage?
A. The coffee market in Boston. B. The role of supermarkets in the coffee business. C. A new trend in the United States. D. The advertising of a new product. 54. What probably leads people to choose gourmet coffees over regular brands?
A. Gourmet coffee is less expensive. B. Regular brands of coffee have too much caffeine. C. Gourmet coffee tastes better. D. Gourmet coffee is growing in the United States. 55. What will probably happen in the future to stores that sell only regular brands of coffee?
A. They will run out of coffee. B. They will successfully compete with gourmet coffee sellers. C. They will introduce new regular brands of coffee. D. They will lose some coffee business.
PASSAGES KEY: 1—10 CDBCB DACDD 11—20 BDABC AACBC 21—30 DBDBA DBBDA 31—40 ACCBD CADDB 41—50 BCCAA DBDBA 51—55 CACDD
News item 1
1. What has contributed to the progress?
A. Desert Winds. B. Increasing number of fire crews. C. Better weather condition. D. More fuels. 2. What can be learned from the news item?
A. Firefighters have been on the defensive previously. B. The fires broke out on Wednesday.
C. Damages in San Diego will tip more than one billion dollars. D. Hot desert winds added fuel to the firefighting efforts. News Item 2