19. ________________________________ 20. _______________________________
Unit 16
Compound dictation
Directions: In this part of the test, you will hear a passage and read the same passage with blanks in it. Fill in each of the blanks with the words you have heard on the tape. Write your answers in the corresponding space below. Remember you will hear the passage ONLY ONCE.
The nuclear bomb was used as a weapon (1) ___, last time in the bombing of Japan that ended World War II. The bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki (2) ___ , each equivalent to some 20,000 tons of TNT, destroyed a large part of both cities and killed (3) ___. After that, the balance of power in the world and (4) ___ deterred the small body of nuclear nations from using the weapon again.
Nuclear weapons rank among (5) ___ potentially available to terrorists. The more powerful devices among today’s (6) ___ are many times more destructive than the bombs that hit Japan. Besides their direct damage, they (7) ___ – which if it does not kill quickly may cause disease and (8) ___. However, such weapons are generally kept (9) ___. Terrorists would find it difficult to acquire one – though not necessarily impossible; they might steal one, or (10) ___, or get it from a nation willing to use terrorism to (11) ___.
Concerns over the security of these nuclear devices (12) ___ particularly about Pakistan, where Muslim extremists enjoy (13) ___, and the Russia, which inherited (14) ___ formidable Soviet arsenal after the Soviet Union’s 1991 disintegration but found it difficult to finance (15) ___. It was claimed that in 1997 that 84 “suitcase” nuclear devices were found (16) ___ in the 1990s, though some senior Russian officials have denied this. These (17) ___ could produce an explosion (18) ___ perhaps 1,000 tons of TNT, with a blast radius of 1,600 feet. The al-Qaeda terrorist network (19) ___ heavily on efforts to acquire portable nuclear devices from (20) ___.
1. ____________________________ 2. ___________________________
3. ________________________________ 4. _______________________________ 7. ________________________________ 8. _______________________________ 11. ________________________________ 12. _______________________________ 15. ________________________________ 16. _______________________________ 19. ________________________________ 20. _______________________________
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5. ____________________________ 6. ___________________________
9. ____________________________ 10. ___________________________
13. ____________________________ 14. ___________________________
17. ____________________________ 18. ___________________________
Tapescripts
Unit I
Compound dictation
In 1979, China adopted an official policy of limiting families to one child each, especially in the urban areas. The authorities are intensely serious about this aim, since China’s exploding population has had severe effects: not enough places in classrooms for all its children, especially in the remote rural areas, where Project Hope was launched later, not enough job opportunities for adults (redundancy proves to be a very serious problem nowadays), not even enough food for everyone (the famine in 1960’s is still the reminiscent in people’s mind). To lower the birthrate, family-planning workers oversee factory workshops and agricultural brigades, and special birth control departments come into existence in every inhabited area. Furthermore, the policy goes beyond using public campaigns and rewards, such as housing, money, childcare, schooling priorities, to induce voluntary compliance. People who have children without permission are fined and denied job promotions and bonuses, although recent reports indicate some easing of controls.
As a result, the nursery schools, kindergartens, early elementary grades of China are already filled with children who have no brothers and sisters. This situation marks a great change in Chinese society, in which newly-wed couples were traditionally congratulated with the wish, “May you have a hundred sons and a thousand grandsons.” No culture in human history has ever been composed entirely of only children. And now that the Chinese are seeing the possibility of achieving their population goal, some critics are asking whether they are sowing the seeds of their own destruction.
Compared with all children who have siblings, only children are superior in intelligence, achievement, character, and quality of relationships with parents, and they are sociable and well adjusted. They are more intelligent and achieve more than later-born children in medium-sized families. They rate higher on character than people from medium-sized and traditional extended families, and have better relationships with their parents than children in large families do.
Key
1. an official policy 3. exploding population 5. a very serious problem 7. lower the birthrate 9. public campaign and rewards 11. are fined and denied 13. no brothers and sisters
2. in the urban areas
4. in the remote rural areas 6. the famine in the 1960’s 8. come into existence 10. schooling priorities 12. easing of controls 14. newly-wed couples
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15. composed entirely of 16. sowing the seeds
17. superior in intelligence, achievement 18. more than later-born children 19. rate higher on 20. traditional extended families
Unit 2
Compound dictation
Chocolate is one of the most popular snack foods in the United States. The average American eats about 6 kilos each year, but it is even more popular in Europe, where people in some countries eat about twice that amount.
A new exhibit in Chicago traces the history of chocolate and its role in culture, economy and the environment. Chicago considers itself the candy capital of the United States because of the large number of manufacturers located there.
Now, those who want to learn more about where many people’s favorite candy – chocolate – comes from, need only head to the new chocolate exhibit at the Natural History Museum in Chicago. Chocolate is an ideal topic for an exhibition. It is something we eat all of the time, it is something we love, we crave and yet it’s strange that we don’t know where it comes from.
Chocolate began to spread throughout Europe in the 1600’s. In 1657, the first chocolate house opened in London. It is similar to today’s café. By 1700, there were in the vicinity of 2,000 chocolate houses in the city. Chocolate became the preferred drink in Italy. Some historians think the poison that killed the Pope in 1774 was concealed in chocolate. Chocolate appeared in its familiar candy form in England and Switzerland in the late 1800’s.
Consumption of chocolate is not very high in parts of the world where it is grown. In part, it brings in much-needed income, but it is also considered a luxury. The interesting fact behind that is that many of the people who manufacture chocolate, grow chocolate and produce chocolate, are ones who can’t afford it. It still is a very expensive product in many of the countries producing it for us today. Key
1. snack foods 2. 6 kilos per year 3. twice that amount 4. traces the history 5. culture, economy and the environment 6. candy capital of 7. the large number of 8. only head to 9. an ideal topic 10. it’s strange 11. throughout Europe 12. similar to 13. in the vicinity of 14. preferred drink 15. concealed in chocolate 16. in the late 1800’s 17. where it is grown 18. considered a luxury
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19. can’t afford it
Unit 3
20. in many of the countries
Compound dictation
A personal computer, or PC, is a relatively small computer used by one person at a time. Portable PCs compact enough to fit on a person’s lap are known as laptops or notebooks. Special software called the operating systems enables you to operate the computer system’s physical parts, or hardware. The most common operating systems used on PCs are Microsoft Windows, the Macintosh and Linux.
The heart of a PC is its microprocessor, or central processing unit (CPU in short), contained on a chip of silicon. The microprocessor carries out arithmetic and logic operations specified by computer programs. PCs have several places where data and instructions are kept.
The Internet is a vast computer network of computer networks. In 1994, a total of 3 million people worldwide made use of it. As of early 2002, according to Nielsen, 166 million Americans had access to the Internet from their homes, the largest number of any country in the world. China, with more than 56 million, was in the 2nd place. In terms of percentage of households with Internet access, Canada, at more than 60%, was number 1. According to estimates by Global Reach in early 2002, English was the native language of 2/5 of the roughly 560 million people online: the 2nd-most-common language was Chinese, with nearly 10%.
According to the Nielsen data, as of early 2002, the US and Canada were the only Internet markets where females online outnumbered males, although in New Zealand the split between the sexes was almost 50-50. A Digital Marketing Services survey found that American mothers averaged about 1/3 more time online per week than American teenagers.
As of June 2002, the search engine company FAST claimed that its ALLTHEWEB.com engine had indexed the most Web pages – 2.1 billion, slightly more than runner-up Google. The total size of the Web, according to search engine developer BrightPlanet, lies in the hundreds of billions of pages.
By December 1996, about 627,000 Internet domain names had been registered. By mid-2002, more than 30 million had been registered. Key
1. a relatively small 3. are known as 5. most common 7. arithmetic and logic 9. a vast computer network of 11. had access to
2. compact enough 4. enables you to
6. central processing unit 8. data and instructions 10. a total of 3 million
12. In terms of percentage of households
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13. native language of 2/5 14. as of early 2002 15. outnumbered males 16. about 1/3 more time 17. search engine company 18. slightly more than runner-up 19.the hundreds of billions of 20. domain names
Unit 4
Compound dictation
The modern Olympic Games, first held in Athens, Greece, in 1896, were the result of efforts of Baron Pierre de Coubertin, a French educator, to promote interest in education and culture and to foster better international understanding through love of athletics. His source of inspiration was the ancient Greek Olympic Games, most notable of the 4 Panhellenic celebrations. The games were combined patriotic, religious, and athletic festivals held every 4 years. The first such recorded festival was held in 776 BC, the date from which the Greeks began to keep the calendar by “Olympiads”, or 4-year spans between the games.
Baron de Coubertin enlisted 13 nations to send athletes to the first modern Olympics in 1896; now athletes from nearly 200 nations and regions in the world compete in the summer Olympics. The winter Olympics was started in France, in 1924.
The first Olympic Games for the disabled were held in Rome after the 1960 summer Olympics, use of the name “paralympic” began with the 1964 Games in Tokyo. The Paralympics are held by the Olympic host country in the same year and usually the same city or venue. A goal of the Paralympics is to provide the elite competition to athletes with functional disabilities that prevent their involvement in the Olympic Games.
On the Olympic flag there are 5 rings, linked together to represent the sporting friendship of all peoples. They also symbolize 5 geographic areas – Europe, Asia, Africa, Oceania and America. Each ring has a different color – blue, yellow, black, green and red. The creed of Olympics is that the most important thing in the Olympic Games is not to win but to take part, just as the most important thing in life is not the triumph but the struggle. The essential thing is not to have conquered but to have fought well. The motto is “swifter, higher, stronger.” The modern version of the flame was adopted in 1936. The torch used to kindle it is first lit by the sun’s rays at Mt. Olympia, Greece, and carried to the site of the Games by relays of runners. Ships and planes are used when necessary.
Key
1. first held in Athens, Greece 2. a French educator 3. to foster better international understanding 4. most notable 5. held every 4 years 6. began to keep 7. between the games 8. enlisted 13 nations 9. 200 nations and regions 10. in France, in 1924
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