[00:17.03]This section is designed to test your ability to understand spoken English.
[00:24.24]You will hear a selection of recorded materials
[00:29.02]and you must answer the questions that accompany them.
[00:33.41]There are three parts in this section,Part A,Part B and Part C.
[00:41.90]Remember,while you are doing the test,
[00:47.39]you should first put down your answers in your test booklet.
[00:52.30]At the end of the listening comprehension section,
[00:56.97]you will have 5 minutes to transfer all your answers from your test booklet
[01:03.56]to ANSWER SHEET I
[01:06.56]If you have any questions,you may raise your hand NOW
[01:13.17]as you will not be allowed to speak once the test has started.
[01:18.55]Now look at Part A in your test booklet.Part A
[01:28.14]Listen and complete the sentences in questions 1-5
[01:34.04]with the information you have heard.
[01:37.44]Write not more than three words in each numbered box.
[01:43.24]You will hear the recording twice.
[01:47.34]You now have 25 seconds to read the questions.
[01:52.43]Brighton is the largest seaside resort in the southwest of England.
[02:00.35]For many people it seems a town of contrasts,
[02:05.44]a mixture of elegant eighteenth-century architecture
[02:10.25]and loud,modern places of amusement.
[02:14.14]The town was at first a fishing village,
[02:19.34]and didn't become popular until the eighteenth century,
[02:24.04]when doctors began to prescribe sea-bathing as a cure for illness.
[02:30.05]Rich people began to visit Brighton in large numbers,
[02:35.35]and when the Prince of Wales,later George IV,
[02:40.13]arrived and decided to build a house there,
[02:44.13]its future as a tourist center was assured.
[02:48.80]The Royal Pavilion,as the house was called,
[02:53.30]was decorated in the Chinese style popular at the time,
[02:58.08]but completely rebuilt between 1815 and 1822 in its present Indian Style
[03:07.06]The king continued to visit it until 1827,
[03:12.47]but the queen Victoria didn't like it,
[03:16.47]and it was bought by the Brighton Local Government.
[03:20.57]It is open to the public every day and there is a special exhibition there in the summer.
[03:28.27]The other side of Brighton,the popular seaside resort,
[03:33.97]grew up in the nineteenth century.
[03:37.57]It offers all kinds of entertainment,
[03:41.68]from concerts and plays in the theatre to the popular amusement centers
[03:47.55]and such local attractions as the Aquarium,
[03:51.73]established over 100 years ago,
[03:55.05]a waxworks and an electric railway
[03:59.83]running between the Aquarium and the Black Rock.
[04:04.32]Question 1--5 according to Part A 1.Brighton is the largest seaside resort in the( )of England.
[04:19.42]2.The town became popular in ( ) century.
[04:27.31]3.The town's future as a tourist center was visited by the( )of Wales and Later George IV.
[04:34.70]4.There is a special exhibition in Brighton in ( ).
[04:39.38]5.Brighton,as a popular seaside resort,offers all kinds of ( ).
[04:44.66]Part B Answer questions 6 to 10 while you listen.
[04:52.08]Use not more than 5 words for each answer.
[04:56.57]You will hear the recording twice.
[05:00.17]You now have25 seconds to read the questions.
[05:06.16]Hawaii,the newest state in the United States,
[05:13.03]is a group of eight large islands and many small ones in the Central Pacific Ocean,
[05:19.50]about 2,200 miles west of San Francisco.
[05:24.49]Hawaii was probably settled about 750 A. D.
[05:30.68]by seafarers from the other Pacific islands.
[05:35.28]The first Europeans or Americans to visit
[05:39.98]it were the British Captain James Cook and his crew in 1778.
[05:45.99]James named his discovery the Sandwich Islands
[05:50.80]after the sponsor of his expedition,the Earl of Sandwich.
[05:56.00]Twelve years later,the others from Europe
[06:00.28]and the new United States began to settle in the islands.
[06:04.98]These "westerners brought trouble to the Hawaii.
[06:08.98]They brought new diseases,which the Hawaiians had no resistance to;
[06:14.57]they brought alcohol,which many Hawaiians became addicted to;
[06:19.87]they brought a new religion which uprooted the old values
[06:26.27]and forced the islanders to abandon their old culture and conform to a new one.
[06:32.25]Many Americans settled in Hawaii,and in 1893,
[06:38.24]they overthrew the queen and made Hawaii a republic.
[06:43.33]Sandford Dole,a missionary's son,was made president.
[06:48.50]In 1898,the United States took over the islands,
[06:53.88]and it became a territory of the United States in 1900.
[06:59.68]On December 7th,1941,the Japanese bombed the Pearl Harbor,Hawaii.
[07:07.18]This attack brought about the entrance of the United States to the Second World War.
[07:14.08]In 1959,the United States Congress admitted Hawaii to statehood,
[07:20.76]making it the fiftieth state in the United States.
[07:25.75]For the first time in about 200 years,
[07:29.83]Hawaiians were able to participate in the electoral process.
[07:36.62]question 6--10 according to Part B
[07:40.20]6.Where is Hawaii located?( ).
[07:45.29]7.Who were the first Europeans or Americans to visit Hawaii?( ).
[07:50.28]8.When was Hawaii made a republic?
[07:55.59]9.When did the Japanese bomb the Pearl Harbor?
[08:00.39]10.What kind of right was brought to the Hawaiians
[08:06.30]since Hawaii was made the fifties state in the United States?
[08:11.49]Part C You will hear three dialogues or monologues.
[08:19.70]Before listening to each one,
[08:22.99]you will have time to read the questions related to it.
[08:27.48]While listening,answer each question by choosing(A),(B),(C) or(D).
[08:36.28]After listening,you will have time to check your answers.
[08:42.08]You will hear each piece once only.
[08:46.99]( 1 )The first flight of the Space Shuttle Columbia in the spring of 1981
[08:57.60]was a revolutionary development in space exploration.
[09:02.48]Unlike the rockets of the previous twenty years,
[09:06.98]Columbia has the enormous advantage
[09:11.16]of being specially designed to return to earth and make further flights.
[09:17.17]Among the large number of projects
[09:20.88]scientists are investigating its future use,the most exciting,perhaps,
[09:27.77]is that the first steps can now be taken
[09:31.77]towards establishing human colonies in space.
[09:36.08]The present Space Shuttle can only stay in space for about a week,
[09:42.56]but it could take people out to build "islands"
[09:46.95]where they stay for longer periods.
[09:50.24]By the year 2050
[09:54.73]scientists estimate that man will be able to construct permanent settlements.
[10:01.31]The first "islands" would be energy stations.
[10:06.30]There would be no hope of establishing colonies in space
[10:11.19]unless people could obtain energy there,
[10:14.90]instead of getting it from the earth.
[10:18.40]However,if the original could convert solar energy into electricity,
[10:25.29]it would be possible to provide the equivalent of a filling station for cars on earth,
[10:32.19]allowing the Space Shuttle to refuel and stay in orbit longer periods of time.
[10:39.40]If this initial project were successful,
[10:43.68]much larger solar energy stations would be constructedlater
[10:49.38]with materials brought out by theShuttle.
[10:53.27]Eventually,man would be able to construct an"inhabitable planet" in space.
[11:00.77]Questions 11-13.according to part C (1)
[11:06.57]11.Which of the following is not true of the Space Shuttle Columbia?
[11:11.37](A)lt was the first rocket ever made in history.
[11:17.35](B)lt did the first flight in 1981.
[11:23.05](C)lts first flight was of great importance in the developmentof spaceexploration.
[11:30.34](D)lt can only stay in space for about a week now.
[11:43.45]12.Why is the Space Shuttle Columbia special?
[11:55.55](A)Because it is not similar to the spaceships of the previous twenty years.
[11:59.83](B)Because it has different designs and is able to
[12:08.92]return to earth and make further flights.
[12:11.01](C)Because it can be used in a variety of ways now.
[12:12.53](D)Because it can be used to establish colonies on earth
[12:17.02]13.According to the talk,
[12:21.12]what will man probably be able to do by the year 2050?
[12:24.12]( )establish a large number of projects in Space Shuttle Columbia
[12:27.21](B)build permanent colonies in space
[12:29.69](C)construct many energy stations on the islands in the sea
[12:32.59](D)build filling stations in space to provide fuel for cars on earth
[13:17.00]( 2) M:Math Department,Doctor Webster speaking.
[13:23.50]W:Hello,Prof.Webster,this is Janet Hill calling.
[13:28.39]I live two doors down from your teaching assistant,Don Williams.
[13:33.56]Don asked me to call you
[13:36.04]because he has lost his voice and can't talk to you himself.
[13:40.95]M:Lost his voice?Oh,What a shame!Is there anything I can do for him?
[13:49.15]W:Well,he has a class this afternoon from two-thirty to four
[13:55.13]and he won't be able to teach it.
[13:58.82]But he doesn't want to cancel it either.
[14:02.11]M:Does he want me to try to find somebody else to teach the class?
[14:07.70]W:No,not exactly.
[14:10.89]What he wants to do is to get someone to go in for him,
[14:16.08]just to pass back the mid-term exams.
[14:19.98]He's already marked them and they are on the desk in his office.
[14:25.36]The whole thing wouldn't take more than ten minutes.
[14:29.75]M:His classes are at two-thirty,you say?
[14:34.74]Well I'm free at that time and I was going to be on campus anyway;
[14:40.54]so I could do it for him.What room is his class in?
[14:45.52]W:Cater Hall,room two-fourteen.
[14:50.02]Will you need his office key to get the exams?
[14:54.62]He's given it to me and I could bring it to you.
[14:59.11]M:Actually,that won't be necessary.
[15:03.29]We have a master key in the math department.
[15:07.49]So I can get into his office if necessary.
[15:11.20]W:Thank you very much,Pro.Wester.
[15:14.99]Don doesn't have another class to teach until Thursday,
[15:19.48]and hopefully,you will be able to talk by then.
[15:23.87]He'll call you as soon as he can.
[15:27.48]Oh,yes,I almost forget.M:Yes?
[15:31.87]W:Could you put the next assignment on the board,loo?
[15:35.97]It's all the problems on page forty-five,
[15:40.17]and they are due at the next class.
[15:43.67]M:No trouble at all.Thank you for passing on all the news about Don,
[15:48.87]and please tell him not to worry about anything.
[15:52.97]questions14.-16.according to part C (2)
[15:56.97]14.What's Don's problem?
[16:00.86](A)He can't find his office key.
[16:04.83](B)He has misplaced some exams.
[16:08.83](C)He's unable to talk.
[16:12.72](D)He's doesn't like his classroom.
[16:16.12]15.What does Jane offer to do?
[16:19.83](A)teach Don's class while he is absent
[16:23.41](B) give Professor Webster the key to Don's office
[16:27.09](C)make an appointment with the doctor
[16:31.29](D)return some exams to the students
[16:35.29]16.What does Jane almost forget to ask Professor Webster?
[16:43.49](A)to put the homework on Don's desk
[16:52.40](B)to leave the master key for Don
[17:00.08](C)to Don's students the next assignment
[17:09.77](D)to call Don at the end of the afternoon
[17:20.17]( 3 )Let's perceive to the main exhibit hall
[17:25.86]and look at some of the actual vehicles
[17:29.57]that played a prominent role in speeding up mail delivery.
[17:34.56]Consider how long it used to take to send a letter across a relatively short distance.
[17:42.97]Back in the 1600s,it took two weeks on horseback to get a letter
[17:49.66]from Boston to New York,a distance of about 260 miles.
[17:56.14]Crossing a river was also a challenge.
[18:00.03]Ferry service was so irregular
[18:04.03]that carrier would sometimes wait hours just to catch a ferry.
[18:09.51]For journeys inland there was always a stagecoach
[18:14.71]but the ride was by no means comfortable
[18:18.42]because it had to be shared with other passengers.
[18:22.52]The post office was pretty ingenious about some words.
[18:27.23]In the 19th century,in the southwestern desert,for an instance,
[18:33.42]camels were brought in to help to get the mail through.
[18:37.91]In Alaska,reindeer were used.
[18:41.98]This practice was discontinued
[18:45.38]because of the disagreeable temper of these animals.
[18:49.66]We'II stop here a minute
[18:53.17]so that you can enter this replica of a railway mail car.
[18:57.76]It was during the age of the iron horse
[19:01.86]that delivery really started to pick up.
[19:05.78]In fact the United States transported most bulk of mail by train
[19:12.18]for nearly 100 years.
[19:15.26]The first airmail service didn't start until 1918.
[19:21.56]Please take a few moments to look around.
[19:26.65]I hope you'll enjoy your tour.And as you continue on your own,
[19:32.74]may I suggest you visit our impressive philatelic collection?
[19:37.76]Not only can you look at some of the more unusual stamps issued
[19:43.24]but there's an interesting exhibit on how stamps are made. |