听力原文及答案

Part I  Writing

Dear Peter,
I’m writing to apologize to you for my failure to attend your birthday party yesterday. What a pity that I missed it. I saw the photos you posted on Facebook. And I regret I’d not been there with you.
We’ve been roommates and good friends for almost three years in college. I hate being absent from your party. But, I have my excuse and I hope you can understand it. I’ve just been sitting my mid-term examination in this morning. So, I had to work hard to get prepared for the test yesterday. You know, there were a lot of extracurricular activities for me to attend in the first half of this term, for instance, taking part in a series of football matches, doing volunteering work as a teacher at a countryside primary school, and so on. I learned a lot from these activities, but on the other hand I neglected my study. I had to make up for it in the several days ahead of the test.
Happy birthday to you! See you later!
                                                      Yours,
                                                      Li Ming

Part II  Listening Comprehension

Section A
Directions: In this section, you will hear three news reports. At the end of each news report, you will hear two or three questions. Both the news report and the questions will be spoken only once. 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 Answer Sheet 1 with a single line through the centre.

Questions 1 and 2 will be based on the following news item.

An Ivy League professor said his flight was delayed because a fellow passenger thought the math equations he was writing might be a sign he was a terrorist.
The economics professor Guido Menzio said he was flying from Philadelphia to Ontario and was solving a math equation related to a speech he was set to give at Queen’s University. He said the woman sitting next to him said she was too ill to take the flight and passed a note to a flight attendant, and then the plane headed back to the gate. Menzio, who is Italian and has curly, dark hair, said the pilot then asked for a word and he was questioned by an official.
“I thought they were trying to get clues about her illness,” he told the press. “Instead, they tell me that the woman was concerned that I was a terrorist because I was writing strange things on a pad of paper.”

1. What did the Ivy League professor plan to do at Queen’s University?
2. What happened to the woman passenger?

1. D  2. C 

Questions 3 and 4 will be based on the following news item.

Yellowstone National Park is a favorite to millions of visitors each year. When is the best time to visit the park? This depends on what your interests are.
Here’s a summary: Spring has abundant wildlife, roaring waterfalls and wild weather. It can snow or be very cold sometimes. Summer has it all including the most crowds of wildlife. If you and your family plan on a summer trip, here’s our best advice: Get out early and eat your breakfast on the road! Fall is a special time of year. For wildlife there is a sense of urgency in the air. Everything seems to be diminishing including the crowds. Winter is a time of solitude. In years past it was more “economical” to visit most of the park in winter. Now it is more restricted unless you can afford a snowcoach or guided snowmobile tour.

3. Which season is the time for tourists to see waterfalls in the park?
4. What are you advised to do if you plan on a summer trip in the park?

3. A  4. B

Questions 5 to 7 will be based on the following news item.

Rio de Janeiro is the most beautiful city of Brazil, surrounded by lovely hills and beaches. Many people travel to Rio de Janeiro for its famous beaches like Copacabana and Ipanema. In addition to this, the most stunning view of Rio de Janeiro and Guanabara Bay can be seen from the top of the Sugar Loaf Mountain.
Along with countless attractions, the city of Rio is also famous for its vibrant nightlife that offers a wide range of bars, night clubs, lounges and special musical events in night. Overall, the city is a perfect vacation destination.
However, in this city, one needs to be concerned about safety especially whilst travelling on foot. It is necessary to take precautions whilst walking in crowded areas, as due to the poverty in the surrounding areas of the city, the crime rate is quite high. It is necessary to keep valuable items, passport and additional cash in the hotel safe.

5. What natural attractions appeal to tourists to travel to Rio?
6. What can tourists do at night?
7. What are tourists advised to do when walking around in the city?

5. C  6. D  7. C

Section B
Directions: In this section, you will hear two long conversations. At the end of each conversation, you will hear four questions. Both the conversation and the questions will be spoken only once. 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 Answer Sheet 1 with a single line through the centre.

Conversation One

W: Good morning, Max.
M: Morning, Cherry. How’re things going? Are you still crazy about online shopping?
W: Fine, thanks. In fact online shopping changes my lifestyle. As you probably know now, you can buy just about anything online these days.
M: Yes, that’s true. Over the past ten years, online shopping has grown tremendously over the Internet to the point that most people have shopped online for clothes, airline tickets, sporting events, concert events and more.
W: Yes, it’s gotten so convenient that it’s easy to forget that we should be alert and take precautions.
M: You said it. It’s of great importance to make sure our personal financial information doesn’t wind up in the wrong hands when shopping online.
W: Yes, that’s right. Since you’re an expert in this field, do you have any suggestions for people who either are somewhat new to online shopping, or aren’t aware of the dangers out there on the Internet?
M: Ok, but don’t panic. As long as you raise your awareness of online security, you’ll be ok. To fight off potential dangers is quite easy.
W: The only thing I know is that we should use reputable and secure websites. But, I don’t know how to make a wise judgment of one certain website.
M: So, you should make sure a website is trustworthy before you type your card details to seal a deal. Otherwise, you might lose your money.
W: I’m lucky then. Till now, I’ve not got cheated in an illegal website.
M: In fact, it’s easy to judge whether a website is secure or not. If you can see a small lock symbol in the address bar, or a web address beginning with “https://” (the “s” stands for “secure”), you can use it freely.
W: Oh, I got that. I’ll mind this later when shopping online.
M: Nowadays, it seems people can’t live without being connected to “Wi-Fi” or “hot spots”. But, my second tip is that you shouldn’t shop by using free public wireless Internet.
W: I personally always use public hotspots or free wireless Internet at airports. What’s wrong with that?
M: If you use it to chat with friends, it’ll be ok. But, if you go online shopping by using public wireless Internet access, it’ll post a great threat to your finance.
W: You mean, some hacker will steal my financial information?
M: Yes, free wireless Internet at public places, like coffee shop, restaurant, and shopping mall, is not always secure.
W: Oh, my god. I think I’ll never get connected to those Wi-Fi connections anymore.
M: But, you can use them occasionally. Just remember to avoid making purchases when you’re in a public place and using free wireless Internet.
W: Ok, Max. I’ll try to bear it in mind while shopping online.

Questions 8 to 11 are based on the conversation you have just heard.

8. What’s said of the development of online shopping?
9. What are the two speakers mainly talking about?
10. What can help judge whether an online shopping website is secure or not?
11. Why should people be more careful with using free wireless Internet?

8. A  9. C  10. A  11. D

Conversation Two

M: Judging from my personal experience, cell phone is really a curse in disguise?
W: Don’t say that. It exists for its own reasons.
M: But, it really annoys me sometimes, even when I’m driving in a heavy traffic.
W: Incoming calls at that time sound to be too much. But, nowadays, it appears that we can’t live without our cell phone. After all, we will find some proper ways to make or receive phone calls and at the same time drive safely.
M: You’re so positive. It’s hard though. We all know that we should avoid talking on the phone while driving, but it may be unavoidable at times.
W: When we have to make phone calls while driving, surely we can do so. But, there’re some preparation we have to do.
M: What’s the first thing we should do?
W: Firstly, we should get to know your cell phone and its features, such as speed dial and redial.
M: As a matter of fact, I know these features, but I never use them before.
W: So, try to learn how to operate your phone before you use it while driving.
M: Good. I’ll practice these functions later.
W: And, you should work to memorize the phone keypad so that you can use the speed dial function without taking your attention off the road.
M: That will take time for me to memorize the numbers and the persons how they represent respectively.
W: With a little practice, you’ll make it.
M: What else?
W: Secondly, you are supposed to buy and use a hands-free device.
M: Yeah, a number of hands-free cell phone accessories are readily available today. I noticed some in an online shop the other day.
W: Yes, you can choose an installed mounted device for your cell phone or a speaker phone accessory. They come handy when you have to use your phone.
M: I think I’ll buy a speaker phone accessory.
W: But, another thing you should keep in mind is that you should stop talking in certain situations.
M: When?
W: When you are driving in dangerous driving conditions, you have to stop the conversations, no matter how important the phone call is.
M: I fully understand that. As a driver, my first responsibility is to pay attention to the road.
W: Right on. Heavy traffic and dangerous weather conditions demand immediate suspense of phone calls. What you have to do is to politely tell the person you’re speaking with that you’re driving and that you have a problem with the traffic or weather condition.
M: That’ll be helpful in reducing accidents. I’ll follow your advice closely while driving in the future.

Questions 12 to 15 are based on the conversation you have just heard.

12. What are the two speakers talking about?
13. What is the woman’s first suggestion for safe driving?
14. What does the man prefer when it comes to buying a hands-free device?
15. What will the man probably do later when driving in a bad weather?

12. C  13. B  14. A  15. A

Section C
Directions: In this section, you will hear three passages. At the end of each passage, you will hear some questions. Both the passage and the questions will be spoken only once. 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 Answer Sheet 1 with a single line through the centre.

Passage One

Captain America is a very good film. I firmly believe that this character is the very toughest to bring to life in the Marvel film simply because of his complexity. They did a fairly nice job keeping it simple but remembering to do so with heart. The film features a nice pace, the perfect cast and wonderful action sequences. It does have its flaws but not enough to sink the film by any means. Overall, it’s a fun ride that respectfully delivers a movie worthy of the legend and sets up for what could be amazing follow-ups and what will be an awesome Avengers film.
As I said, the cast is remarkable and every single character played to perfection. Tommy Lee Jones simply stole every scene he was in and his character had the audience in the palm of his hand. Best audience reactions throughout the entire film.
Cap’s wartime real costume, look and shield work is amazing. It’s right out of the books. The same can be said of the Red Skull’s look. A story featuring a true hero is so refreshing at this point. No dark brooding and moody anti-hero here… The story itself is told with a very nice pace and in a crisp manner. Nothing drags at all. The dialogue is witty and the humor works its way successfully in to the natural order of the story. The tone and period work is dead on perfect. All in all, I loved the flavor of this film.

Questions 16 to 18 are based on the passage you have just heard.

16. How does the speaker consider the movie?
17. What did the speaker say about Tommy Lee Jones?
18. What was mentioned of the dialogue in the movie?

16. A  17. C  18. B

Passage Two

Arranged marriages have been an integral part of the Indian society since ages. Basically a marriage is termed as arranged when it is arranged by people other than those getting married. In the process, it even limits the phenomena of courtship. The other people involved in the arrangement of the marriage can be parents, match making agents, online dating websites or a trusted third party. In fact the task of match making is quite a number of times carried out by priests, religious leaders, trusted relatives, family friends, etc.
In older times, the bride and the groom were neither asked for their consent, nor were they informed about the partner. However, with the evolution of time, the society has also undergone a significant change. Nowadays, in arranged marriages both the girl and the boy are asked for their consent. The process begins with practices like matching the birth dates of the couple for checking the suitability, the background of the families and their social status.
After all the above things are ensured, a suitable date for the beginning of the marriage is decided. Before marriage, an engagement ceremony is held to ensure that the agreement between the two families is finalized. In the modern society, the boy and the girl are allowed to hold restricted meetings and conversations before marriage. This makes it easy for both of them to open up and also facilitates interaction and understanding.

Questions 19 to 21 are based on the passage you have just heard.

19. Who may not be suitable for initiating an arranged marriage?
20. What’s mentioned about an arranged marriage in the past?
21. What’s the purpose of an engagement ceremony?

19. B  20. A  21. C

Passage Three

Michael Joseph Jackson was born in Gary, Indiana on August 29, 1958, and entertained audiences nearly his entire life. His father, Joe Jackson, had been a guitarist, but was forced to give up his musical ambitions following his marriage to Katherine Jackson. Together, they cultivated their growing family’s musical interests at home. By the early 1960s, the older boys Jackie, Tito and Jermaine had begun performing around the city they lived; by 1964, Michael and Marlon had joined in.
A musical genius, Michael’s singing and dancing talents were amazingly mature, and he soon became the dominant voice and focus of the Jackson 5. It was Gladys Knight, not Diana Ross, who officially brought the group to Berry Gordy’s attention, and by 1969, the boys were producing a series of songs that entered the charts such as “I Want You Back,” “ABC,” “Never Can Say Goodbye,” “Got to Be There,” etc. As a product of the 1970s, the boys emerged as one of the most accomplished black pop/soul vocal groups in music history, successfully evolving into a disco phenomenon.
Solo success for Michael was inevitable, and by the 1980s, he had become infinitely more popular than his brotherly group. Record sales consistently increased, culminating in the biggest-selling album of all time, “Thriller” in 1982. A TV natural, he ventured rather uneasily into films, such as playing the Scarecrow in The Wiz (1978), but had much better luck with carefully organized music videos.

Questions 22 to 25 are based on the passage you have just heard.

22. What is mentioned of Joe Jackson?
23. When did Michael Jackson join the Jackson 5?
24. What were the Jackson 5 famous for in 1970s?
25. How was Michael Jackson’s acting in films?

22. C  23. A  24. A  25. B

Part III   Reading Comprehension

Section A
26. E  27. C  28. A  29. N  30. H 
31. B  32. L  33. D  34. F  35. O

Section B
36. G  37. F  38. H  39. N  40. I
41. L  42. E  43. J  44. D  45. K

Section C
Passage One
46. B  47. A  48. B  49. C  50. A
Passage two
51. C  52. C  53. B  54. A  55. B

Part IV  Translation

There are studies out there showing differences between Chinese and Westerners when it comes to parenting. Almost 70% of the Western mothers said that “parents need to foster the idea in their children that learning is fun.” By contrast, roughly 20% of the Chinese mothers felt the same way. Instead, the vast majority of the Chinese mothers said that they believe their children can be “the best” students, that “academic achievement reflects successful parenting,” and that if children did not excel at school then parents “were not doing their job.” Compared to Western parents, Chinese parents spend approximately ten times as long every day drilling academic activities with their children. By contrast, Western kids are more likely to participate in sports teams.