2004年英语专业八级考试真题听力MP3下载附试题和答案文本

PART Ⅰ LISTENING COMPREHENSION
SECTION A TALK

Language is used for doing things. People use it in everyday conversation for transacting business, planning meals and vacations, debating politics, and gossiping. Teachers use it for instructing students, and comedians use it for amusing audiences. All these are instances of language use - that is activities in which people do things with language. As we can see, language use is really a form of joint action. 

What is joint action? I think it is an action that is carried out by a group of people doing things in coordination with each other. As simple examples, think of two people waltzing, or playing a piano duet. When two dancers waltz, they each move around the ballroom in a special way. But waltzing is different from the sum of their individual actions. Can you imagine these two dancers doing the same steps, but in separate rooms, or at separate times? So waltzing is, in fact, the joint action that emerges as the two dancers do their individual steps in coordination, as a couple. 

Similarly, doing things with language is also different from the sum of the speaker speaking and the listener listening. It is the joint action that emerges when speakers and listeners, or writers and readers, perform their individual actions in coordination, as ensembles. Therefore, we can say that language use incorporates both individual and social processes. Speakers and listeners, writers and readers, must carry out actions as individuals, if they are to succeed in their use of language. But they must also work together as participants in the social units I have called ensembles. In the example I mentioned just now, the two dancers perform both individual actions, moving their bodies, arms, and legs, and joint actions, coordinating these movements, as they create the waltz. In the past, language use has been studied as if it were entirely an individual process. And it has also been studied as if it were entirely a social process. For me, I suggest that it belongs to both. We cannot hope to understand language use without viewing it as joint actions built on individual actions. In order to explain how all these actions work, I'd like to review briefly settings of language use. By settings, I mean the scene in which language use takes place, plus the medium - which refers to whether language use is spoken or written. And in this talk, I'll focus on spoken settings. 

The spoken setting mentioned most often is conversation - either face to face, or on the telephone. Conversations may be devoted to gossip, business transactions or scientific matters, but they're all characterized by the free exchange of terms among the two participants. I'll call these personal settings. Then we have what I would call nonpersonal settings. A typical example is the monologue. In monologues, one person speaks with little or no opportunity for interruption, or turns by members of the audience. Monologues come in many varieties too, as a professor lectures to a class, or a student giving a presentation to a seminar. These people speak for themselves, uttering words they formulated themselves for the audience before them, and the audience isn't expected to interrupt. In another kind of setting which are called institutional settings, the participants engage in speech exchanges that look like ordinary conversation, but they are limited by institutional rules. As examples, we can think of a government official holding a news conference, a lawyer crossquestioning a witness in court, or a professor directing a seminar discussion. In these settings, what is said is more or less spontaneous, even though turns at speaking are allocated by a leader, or are restricted in other ways. 

The person speaking isn't always the one whose intentions are being expressed. We have the clearest examples in fictional settings. Vivian Leigh plays Scarlett O'Hara in "Gone with the Wind", Frank Sinatra sings a love song in front of a live audience, the speakers are each vocalizing words composed by someone else - for instance a playwright or a composer - and are openly pretending to be expressing opinions that aren't necessarily their own. Finally there are private settings when people speak for themselves without actually addressing anyone else, for example, I might explain silently to myself, or talk to myself about solving a research problem, or rehearsing what I'm about to say in a seminar tomorrow. What I say isn't intended to be recognized by other people, it is only of use to myself. These are the features of private settings.

SECTION B TALK

W: Good evening, I'm Nancy Johnson. The guest on our radio talk this evening is Professor Wang Gongwu. Hello, Professor Wang.

M: Hello.

W: Professor Wang, you're now professor emeritus of Australia National University, and in your long academic career, you've worn many hats as tutor, lecturer, department head, dean, professor, and vice chancellor. However, as I know, you're still very fond of your university days as a student.

M: That's right. That was in 1949. The university that I went to was a brandnew university then, and the only one in the country at that time. When I look back, it was an amazingly small university, and we knew everybody.

W: How did the students like you, for example, study then?

M: We didn't study very hard, because we didn't have to. We didn't have all this fantastic competition that you have today. Mmm. We were always made to feel that getting a first degree in the Arts faculty was not preparation for a profession. It was a general education. We were not under any pressure to decide on our careers, and we had such a good time. We were left very much on our own, and we were encouraged to make things happen. 

W: What do you see as the most striking difference in university education since then?

M: University education has changed dramatically since those days. Things are very specialized today. 

W: Yes, definitely so. And, in your subsequent career experience as an educator and later administrator in various institutions of higher education in Asia and elsewhere, Professor Wang, you have repeatedly noted that one has to look at the development of education in one particular country in a broad context. What do you mean by that?

M: Well, the whole world has moved away from elite education in universities to meet the needs of mass education, and entering universities is no longer a privilege for the few. And universities today are more concerned with providing jobs for their graduates in a way that universities in our time never had to be bothered about. Therefore, the emphasis of university programs today is now on the practical and the utilitarian, rather than on a general education or on personal development.

W: Do you think that is a welcome development?

M: Well, I personally regret this development. But the basic bachelor's education now has to cater to people who really need a piece of paper to find a decent job.

W: So you're concerned about this development.

M: Yes, I'm very concerned. With technical changes, many of the things that you learn are technical skills, which don't require you to become very well educated. Yet, if you can master those skills, you can get very good jobs. So the technical institutions are going to be increasingly popular at the expense of traditional universitites.

W: Professor Wang, let's look at a different issue. How do you comment on the current phenomenon because of the fees they pay?

M: Well, once you accept students on financial grounds, one wonders whether you have to pass them as well. But this is the development in education that we have to contend with. Yet, if we are concerned about maintaining standards, what we can do is to concentrate on improving the quality of education.

W: Yes, you're right. A university is judged by the quality of education it offers. Professor Wang, let's turn to the future. What type of graduates, in your view, to universities of the future need to produce, if they are to remain relevant?

M: I think their graduates must be able to shift from one profession to another, because they are trained in a very independent way. If you can do that, you raise the level of the flexibility of the mind. Today's rapid changes in technology demand this adaptability. And you see the best universities in the world are already trying to guarantee that their students will not only be technically trained, but will be the kind of people that can adapt to any changing situation.

W: I guess many people would agree with you on that point. University education should focus on both personal and professional development of students. But still some might believe there is a definite place for education in a broader sense - that is, in personal intellectual development. 

M: No doubt about that. We need people who will think about the future, about the past, and also people who will think about society. If a society doesn't have philosophers, or people who think about the value of life, it's a very sad society indeed.

W: Professor Wang, my last question: do you see any common ground in education between your generation and the young generation now?

M: Adapting to new challenges is perhaps the true cornerstone of our generation's legacy to education. And the future of education in a country rests not so much on the construction of better buildings, labs, etc., but in the development of an everadaptable mind.

W: That's true. The essence of education is the education of the mind. Okay, thank you very much, Professor Wang, for talking to us on the show about the changing trends in education.

M: You're welcome

SECTION C 

A new data shows that the global AIDS pandemic will cause a sharp drop in life expectancy in dozens of countries, in some cases, declines of three decades. Several nations are losing a century's progress in extending the length of life. Nations in every part of the world, 51 in all, are suffering declining life expectancies because of an increasing prevalence of HIV infection. The increase is occurring in Asia, Latin America, and the Carribbean, but is greatest in subSaharan Africa, a region with only 10% of the world's population but 70% of the world's HIV infections. Seven African countries have life expectancies of less than 40 years. For example, in Botswana, where 39% of the adult population is infected with HIV, life expectancy is 39 years. But by 2010, it will be less than 27 years. Without AIDS, it would have been 44 years. Life expectancy throughout the Carribbean and some Central American nations will drop into the 60's by 2010, when they would otherwise have been in the 70's without AIDS. In Cambodia and Burma, they are predicted to decline to around 60 years old, to what otherwise would have been in the mid 60's. Even in countries where the number of new infections is dropping, such as Thailand, Uganda, and Senegal, small life expectancy drop is forecast. Back in the early 1990's, we never would have suspected that population growth would have turned negative because of AIDS mortality. In less than 10 years, we expect that 5 countries will be experiencing negative population growth because of AIDS mortality, including South Africa, Mozambique, Lesotho, Botswana and Swaziland.

Questions 14 and 15 are based on the following news. At the end of the news item, you will be given 30 seconds to answer the questions. Now listen to the news.

The European Union has drafted a list of US products to be hit with import taxes in retaliation for tariffs the United States has imposed on European steel. EU member governments will review the list before the EU submits it to the World Trade Organization, which arbitrates international trade disputes. EU officials will not say which American products will be hit by the EU sanctions. But diplomats monitoring the most recent transAtlantic trade dispute say they include textiles and steel products.
Earlier this month, the Bush administration imposed tariffs of up to 30 percent on some steel imports, including European products.

The EU has appealed to the World Trade Organization to get those duties overturned. But a WTO decision on the matter could take up to a year or more. EU officials say that, under WTO rules, the EU has the right to impose retaliatory measures in June. But they say the United States can avoid the EU's possible countermeasures if it pays more than two billion dollars in compensation to the EU for imposing the steel tariffs in the first place. The officials say Washington could also escape retaliation by lowering U.S. import duties on other EU products. 

The Bush administration says it will not pay compensation.

SECTION D TALK

Good morning. Today's lecture will focus on how to make people feel at ease in conversations. I guess all of you sitting here can recall certain people who just seem to make you feel comfortable when they are around. You spend an hour with them and feel as if you've known them half your life. These people who have that certain something that makes us feel comfortable have something in common, and once we know what that is, we can go about getting some of that something for ourselves. How is it done? Here are some of the skills that good talkers have. If you follow the skills, they will help you put people at their ease, make them feel secure, and comfortable, and turn acquaintances into friends. 

First of all, good talkers ask questions. Almost anyone, no matter how shy, will answer a question. In fact, according to my observation, very shy persons are often more willing to answer questions than extroverts. They are more concerned that someone will think them impolite if they don't respond to the questions. So most skillful conversationalists recommend starting with a question that is personal, but not harmful. For example, once a famous American TV presenter got a long and fascinating interview from a notoriously private billionaire by asking him about his first job. Another example, one prominent woman executive confesses that at business lunches, "I always ask people what they did that morning. It's a dull question, but it gets things going." From there, you can move on to other matters, sometimes to really personal questions. Moreover, how your responder answers will let you know how far you can go. A few simple catchwords like "Really?" "Yes?" are clear invitations to continue talking. 

Second, once good talkers have asked questions, they listen for answers. This point seems obvious, but it isn't in fact. Making people feel comfortable isn't simply a matter of making idle conversation. Your questions have a point. You're really asking, "What sort of person are you?" and to find out, you have to really listen. There are at least three components of real listening. For one thing, real listening means not changing the subject. If someone sticks to one topic, you can assume that he or she is really interested in it. Another component of real listening is listening not just to words but to tones of voice. I once mentioned D.H. Lawrence to a friend. To my astonishment, she launched into an academic discussion of the imagery in Lawrence's works. Midway through, I listened to her voice. It was, to put it mildly, unanimated, and it seemed obvious that the imagery monologue was intended solely for my benefit, and I quickly changed the subject. At last, real listening means using your eyes as well as your ears. When your gaze wanders, it makes people think they're boring your, or what they are saying is not interesting. Of course, you don't have to stare, or glare at them. Simply looking attentive will make most people think that you think they're fascinating. 

Next, good talkers are not afraid to laugh. If you think of all the people you know who make you feel comfortable, you may notice that all of them laugh a lot. Laughter is not only warming and friendly, it's also a good way to ease other people's discomfort. I have a friend who might enjoy watching at gathering of other people who do not know each other well. The first few minutes of talk are a bit uneasy and hesitant, for the people involved do not yet have a sense of each other. Invariably, a light comment or joke is made, and my friend's easy laughter appears like sunshine in the conversation. There is always then a visible softening that takes place. Other people smile, and loosen in response to her laughter, and the conversation goes on with more warmth and ease.

Finally, good talkers are onces who cement a parting. That is, they know how to make use of parting as a way to leave a deep impression on others. Last impressions are just as important as first impressions in determining how a new acquaintance will remember you. People who make others really feel comfortable take advantage of that parting moment to close the deal. Men have had it easier. They have done it with a smile, and a good firm handshake. What about women then? Over the last several years, women have started to take over that custom well between themselves or with men. If you're saying goodbye, you might want to give him or her a second extra hand squeeze. It's a way to say, I really enjoyed meeting you. But it's not all done with body language. If you've enjoyed being with someone, if you want to see that person again, don't keep it a secret. Let people know how you feel, and they may walk away feeling as if they've known you half their life. 

Okay, just to sum up. Today, we've talked about four ways to make people feel at ease in conversations. These skills are important in keeping conversations going, and in forming friendships later on. Of course, these skills are by no means the only ones we can use. the list is much longer. I hope you will use these four skills, and discover more on your own in your conversations with other people. 

Now you have two minutes to check your notes, and then please complete the 15 minute gap filling task on Answer Sheet One.

This is the end of listening comprehension.

2004年英语专业八级考试试题

Part Ⅰ Listening Comprehension (40 min)

In Sections A,B and C you will hear everything ONCE ONLY. Listen carefully and then answer the questions that follow. Mark the correct answer to each question on your colored answer sheet.

SECTION A TALK

Questions 1 to 5 refer to the talk in this section. At the end of the talk you will be given 75 seconds to answer the questions. Now listen to the talk.

1. The parallel between waltzing and language use lies in ____.
A. the coordination based on individual actions
B. the number of individual participants
C. the necessity of individual actions
D. the requirements for participants

2. In the talk the speaker thinks that language use is a(n) ____ process.
A. individual
B. combined
C. distinct
D. social

3. The main difference between personal and non-personal settings is in ____.
A. the manner of language use
B. the topic and content of speech
C. the interactions between speaker and audience
D. the relationship between speaker and audience

4. In fictional settings, speakers ____.
A. hide their real intentions
B. voice others' intentions
C. play double roles on and off stage
D. only imitate other people in life

5. Compared with other types of settings, the main feature of private setting is ____.
A. the absence of spontaneity
B. the presence of individual actions
C. the lack of real intentions
D. the absence of audience

SECTION B INTERVIEW

Questions 6 to 10 are based on an interview. At the end of the interview you will be given 75 seconds to answer the questions. Now listen to the interview.

6. What was education like in Professor Wang's days?
A. Students worked very hard.
B. Students felt they needed a second degree.
C. Education was not career－oriented.
D. There were many specialized subjects.

7. According to Professor Wang, what is the purpose of the present－day education?
A. To turn out an adequate number of elite for the society.
B. To prepare students for their future career.
C. To offer practical and utilitarian courses in each programme.
D. To set up as many technical institutions as possible.

8. In Professor Wang's opinion, technical skills ____.
A. require good education
B. are secondary to education
C. don't call for good education
D. don't conflict with education

9. What does Professor Wang suggest to cope with the situation caused by increasing numbers of fee-paying students
A. Shifting from one programme to another.
B. Working out ways to reduce student number.
C. Emphasizing better quality of education.
D. Setting up stricter examination standards.

10. Future education needs to produce graduates of all the following categories EXCEPT ____.
A. those who can adapt to different professions
B. those who have a high flexibility of mind
C. those who are thinkers, historians and philosophers
D. those who possess only highly specialized skills

SECTION C NEWS BROADCAST

Questions 11 to 13 are based on the following news. At the end of the news item, you will be given 45 seconds to answer the questions. Now listen to the news.

11. Which of the following regions in the world will witness the sharpest drop in life expectancy?
A. Latin America.
B. Sub Saharan Africa.
C. Asia.
D. The Caribbean.

12. According to the news, which country will experience small life expectancy drop?
A. Burma.
B. Botswana.
C. Cambodia.
D. Thailand.

13. The countries that are predicted to experience negative population growth are mainly in ____ .
A. Asia.
B. Africa.
C. Latin America.
D. The Caribbean.

Questions 14 and 15 are based on the following news. At the end of the news item, you will be given 30 seconds to answer the questions. Now listen to the news.

14. The trade dispute between the European Union and the US was caused by ____.
A.US refusal to accept arbitration by WTO
B.US imposing tariffs on European steel
C.US refusal to pay compensation to EU
D.US refusal to lower import duties on EU products

15. Who will be consulted first before the EU list is submitted to WTO?
A. EU member states.
B. The United States.
C. WTO.
D. The steel corporations.
SECTION D    NOTE-TAKING AND GAP-FILLING
In this section you will hear a mini-lecture ONCE ONLY. While listening to the lecture, take notes on the important points. Your notes will not be marked, but you will need them to complete a 15-minute gap-filling task on ANSWER SHEET ONE after the mini-lecture. Use the blank paper for note-taking. Fill in each of the gaps with one word. You may refer to your notes. Make sure the word you fill in is both grammatically and semantically acceptable.

Conversation Skills

People who usually make us feel comfortable in conversations are good talkers. And they have something in common, i.e. skills to put people at ease.

1. Skill to ask question
1) be aware of the human nature: readiness to answer other's questions regardless of (1)____
2) start a conversation with some personal but unharmful questions about one's (2)____ job.
questions about one's activities in the (3)____
3) be able to spot signals for further talk

2. Skill to (4)____for answers
1) don't shift from subject to subject-sticking to the same subject: signs of (5)____in conversation.
2) listen to (6)____of voice - If people sound unenthusiastic, then change subject.
3) use eyes and ears - steady your gaze while listening

3. Skill to laugh
Effects of laughter:
- ease people's (7)____
- help start (8)____

4. Skill to part
1) importance: open up possibilities for future friendship or contact
2) ways:
- men: a smile, a (9)____
- women: same as (10)____ now
- how to express pleasure in meeting someone.

(1) ______ (2) ______ (3) ______ (4) ______ ( 5 ) ______
(6) ______ (7) ______ (8) ______ (9) ______ (10) ______

PART II PROOFREADING AND ERROR CORRECTION (15 MIN)

The following passage contains TEN errors. Each line contains a maximum of one error and three are free from error. In each case, only one word is involved. You should proofread the passage and correct it in the following way.

For a wrong word, underline the wrong word and write the correct one in the blank provided at the end of the line.
For a missing word, mark the position of the missing word with a “∧” sign and write the word you believe to be missing in the blank provided at the end of the line.
For an unnecessary word, cross out the unnecessary word with a slash “／” and put the word in the blank provided at the end of the line.
If the line is correct, place a V in the blank provided at the end of the line
Example
When ^ art museum wants a new exhibit,             (1) an
It never buys things in finished form and bangs         (2) never
them on the wall. When a natural history museum       (3) v
wants an exhibition, it must often build it.             (4) exhibit

Proofread the given passage on ANSWER SHEET TWO as instructed.

One of the most important non-legislative functions of the U.S Congress
is the power to investigate. This power is usually delegated to committees - either
standing committees, special committees set for a specific                  (1)____
purpose, or joint committees consisted of members of both houses.           (2)____
Investigations are held to gather information on the need for
future legislation, to test the effectiveness of laws already passed,
to inquire into the qualifications and performance of members and
officials of the other branches, and in rare occasions, to lay the               (3)____
groundwork for impeachment proceedings. Frequently, committees
rely outside experts to assist in conducting investigative hearings             (4)____
and to make out detailed studies of issues.                               (5)____
There are important corollaries to the investigative power. One
is the power to publicize investigations and its results. Most                 (6)____
committee hearings are open to public and are reported                     (7)____
widely in the mass media. Congressional investigations
nevertheless represent one important tool available to lawmakers             (8)____
to inform the citizenry and to arouse public interests in national issues.        (9)____
Congressional committees also have the power to compel
testimony from unwilling witnesses, and to cite for contempt
of Congress witnesses who refuse to testify and for perjury
these who give false testimony.                                        (10)____

Part Ⅲ Reading Comprehension (30 min)

In this section there are four reading passages followed by a total of fifteen multiple-choice questions. Read the passages and then mark your answers on your colored answer sheet.

TEXT A

Farmers in the developing world hate price fluctuations. It makes it hard to plan ahead. But most of them have little choice: they sell at the price the market sets. Farmers in Europe, the U.S. and Japan are luckier: they receive massive government subsidies in the form of guaranteed prices or direct handouts. Last month U.S. President Bush signed a new farm bill that gives American farmers $190 billion over the next 10 years, or $83 billion more than they had been scheduled to get, and pushes U.S. agricultural support close to crazy European levels. Bush said the step was necessary to "promote farmer independence and preserve the farm way of life for generations". It is also designed to help the Republican Party win control of the Senate in November's mid term elections.

Agricultural production in most poor countries accounts for up to 50% of GDP, compared to only 3% in rich countries. But most farmers in poor countries grow just enough for themselves and their families. Those who try exporting to the West find their goods whacked with huge tariffs or competing against cheaper subsidized goods. In 1999 the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development concluded that for each dollar developing countries receive in aid they lose up to $14 just because of trade barriers imposed on the export of their manufactured goods. It's not as if the developing world wants any favors, says Gerald Ssendwula, Uganda's Minister of Finance. "What we want is for the rich countries to let us compete."

Agriculture is one of the few areas in which the Third World can compete. Land and labor are cheap, and as farming methods develop, new technologies should improve output. This is no pie in the sky speculation. The biggest success in Kenya's economy over the past decade has been the boom in exports of cut flowers and vegetables to Europe. But that may all change in 2008, when Kenya will be slightly too rich to qualify for the "leastdeveloped country" status that allows African producers to avoid paying stiff European import duties on selected agricultural products. With trade barriers in place, the horticulture industry in Kenya will shrivel as quickly as a discarded rose. And while agriculture exports remain the great hope for poor countries, reducing trade barriers in other sectors also works: Americas African Growth and Opportunity Act, which cuts duties on exports of everything from handicrafts to shoes, has proved a boon to Africa's manufacturers. The lesson: the Third World can prosper if the rich world gives it a fair go.

This is what makes Bush's decision to increase farm subsidies last month all the more depressing. Poor countries have long suspected that the rich world urges rade liberalization only so it can wangle its way into new markets. Such suspicions caused the Seattle trade talks to break down three years ago. But last November members of the World Trade Organization, meeting in Doha, Qatar, finally agreed to a new round of talks designed to open up global trade in agriculture and textiles. Rich countries assured poor countries, that their concerns were finally being addressed. Bush's handout last month makes a lie of America's commitment to those talks and his personal devotion to free trade.

16. By comparison, farmers ____ receive more government subsidies than others.
A. in the developing world
B. in Japan
C. in Europe
D. in America

17. In addition to the economic considerations, there is a ____ motive behind Bush's signing of the new farm bill.
A. partisan
B. social
C. financial
D. cultural

18. The message the writer attempts to convey throughout the passage is that ____.
A. poor countries should be given equal opportunities in trade
B. "the least-developed country" status benefits agricultural countries
C. poor countries should remove their suspicions about trade liberalization
D. farmers in poor countries should also receive the benefit of subsidies

19. The writer's attitude towards new farm subsidies in the U.S. is ____.
A. favorable
B. ambiguous
C. critical
D. reserved

TEXT B

Oscar Wilde said that work is the refuge of people who have nothing better to do. If so, Americans are now among the world's saddest refugees. Factory workers in the United States are working longer hours than at any time in the past half-century. America once led the rich world in cutting the average working week-from 70 hours in 1850 to less than 40 hours by the 1950s. It seemed natural that as people grew richer they would trade extra earnings for more leisure. Since the 1970s, however, the hours clocked up by American workers have risen, to an average of 42 this year in manufacturing.

Several studies suggest that something similar is happening outside manufacturing: Americans are spending more time at work than they did 20 years ago. Executives and lawyers boast of 80hour weeks. On holiday, they seek out fax machines and phones as eagerly as Germans bag the best sun-loungers. Yet working time in Europe and Japan continues to fall. In Germany's engineering industry the working week is to be trimmed from 36 to 35 hours next year. Most Germans get six weeks' paid annual holiday; even the Japanese now take three weeks. Americans still make do with just two.

Germany responds to this contrast with its usual concern about whether people's aversion to work is damaging its competitiveness. Yet German workers, like the Japanese, seem to be acting sensibly: as their incomes rise, they can achieve a better standard of living with fewer hours of work. The puzzle is why America, the world's richest country, sees things differently. It is a puzzle with sinister social implications. Parents spend less time with their children, who may be left alone at home for longer. Is it just a coincidence that juvenile crime is on the rise

Some explanations for America's time at work fail to stand up to scrutiny. One blames weak trade unions that leave workers open to exploitation. Are workers being forced by costcutting firms to toil harder just to keep their jobs? A recent study by two American economists, Richard Freeman and Linda Bell, suggests not: when asked, Americans actually want to work longer hours. Most German workers, in contrast, would rather work less.

Then, why do Americans want to work harder? One reason may be that the real earnings of many Americans have been stagnant or falling during the past two decades. People work longer merely to maintain their living standards. Yet many higher skilled workers, who have enjoyed big increases in their real pay, have been working harder too. Also, one reason for the slow growth of wages has been the rapid growth in employment-which is more or less where the argument began.

Taxes may have something to do with it. People who work an extra hour in America are allowed to keep more of their money than those who do the same in Germany. Falls in marginal tax rates in America since the 1970s have made it all the more profitable to work longer.None of these answers really explains why the centurylong decline in working hours has gone into reverse in America but not elsewhere (though Britain shows signs of following America's lead). Perhaps cultural differences-the last refuge of the defeated economist-are at play. Economists used to believe that once workers earned enough to provide for their basic needs and allow for a few luxuries, their incentive to work would be eroded, like lions relaxing after a kill. But humans are more susceptible to advertising than lions. Perhaps clever marketing has ensured that "basic needs"-for a shower with builtin TV, for a rocketpropelled car-expand continuously. Shopping is already one of America's most popular pastimes. But it requires money-hence more work and less leisure.Or try this: the television is not very good, and baseball and hockey keep being wiped out by strikes. Perhaps Wilde was right. Maybe Americans have nothing better to do.

20. In the United States, working longer hours is ____.
A. confined to the manufacturing industry
B. a traditional practice in some sectors
C. prevalent in all sectors of society
D. favoured by the economists

21. According to the third paragraph, which might be one of the consequences of working longer hours?
A. Rise in employees' working efficiency.
B. Rise in the number of young offenders.
C. Rise in people's living standards.
D. Rise in competitiveness.

22. Which of the following is the cause of working longer hours stated by the writer?
A. Expansion of basic needs.
B. Cultural differences.
C. Increase in real earnings.
D. Advertising.

TEXT C

The fox really exasperated them both. As soon as they had let the fowls out, in the early summer mornings, they had to take their guns and keep guard; and then again as soon as evening began to mellow, they must go once more. And he was so sly. He slid along in the deep grass; he was difficult as a serpent to see. And he seemed to circumvent the girls deliberately. Once or twice March had caught sight of the white tip of his brush, or the ruddy shadow of him in the deep grass, and she had let fire at him. But he made no account of this. The trees on the wood edge were a darkish, brownish green in the full light-for it was the end of August. Beyond, the naked, copper like shafts and limbs of the pine trees shone in the air. Nearer the rough grass, with its long, brownish stalks all agleam, was full of light. The fowls were round about-the ducks were still swimming on the pond under the pine trees. March looked at it all, saw it all, and did not see it. She heard Banford speaking to the fowls in the distance-and she did not hear. What was she thinking about? Heaven knows. Her consciousness was, as it were, held back.

She lowered her eyes, and suddenly saw the fox. He was looking up at her. His chin was pressed down, and his eyes were looking up. They met her eyes. And he knew her. She was spellbound-she knew he knew her. So he looked into her eyes, and her soul failed her. He knew her, he has not daunted. She struggled, confusedly she came to herself, and saw him making off, with slow leaps over some fallen boughs, slow, impudent jumps. Then he glanced over his shoulder, and ran smoothly away. She saw his brush held smooth like a feather, she saw his white buttocks twinkle. And he was gone, softly, soft as the wind.

She put her gun to her shoulder, but even then pursed her mouth, knowing it was nonsense to pretend to fire. So she began to walk slowly after him, in the direction he had gone, slowly, pertinaciously. She expected to find him. In her heart she was determined to find him. What she would do when she saw him again she did not consider. But she was determined to find him. So she walked abstractedly about on the edge of the wood, with wide, vivid dark eyes, and a faint flush in her cheeks. She did not think. In strange mindlessness she walked hither and thither...

As soon as supper was over, she rose again to go out, without saying why. She took her gun again and went to look for the fox. For he had lifted his eyes upon her, and his knowing look seemed to have entered her brain. She did not so much think of him: she was possessed by him. She saw his dark, shrewd, unabashed eye looking into her, knowing her. She felt him invisibly master her spirit. She knew the way he lowered his chin as he looked up, she knew his muzzle, the golden brown, and the greyish white. And again she saw him glance over his shoulder at her, half inviting, half contemptuous and cunning. So she went, with her great startled eyes glowing, her gun under her arm, along the wood edge. Meanwhile the night fell, and a great moon rose above the pine trees.

23. At the beginning of the story, the fox seems to the all EXCEPT ____.
A. cunning
B. fierce
C. defiant
D. annoying

24. As the story proceeds, March begins to feel under the spell of ____.
A. the light
B. the trees
C. the night
D. the fox

25. Gradually March seems to be in a state of ____.
A. blankness
B. imagination
C. sadness
D. excitement

26. At the end of the story, there seems to be a sense of ____ between March and the fox.
A. detachment
B. anger
C. intimacy
D. conflict

27. The passage creates an overall impression of ____.
A. mystery
B. horror
C. liveliness
D. contempt

TEXT D

The banners are packed, the tickets booked. The glitter and white overalls have been bought, the gas masks just fit and the mobile phones are ready. All that remains is to get to the parties.

This week will see a feast of panEuropean protests. It started on Bastille Day last Saturday, with the French unions and immigrants on the streets and the first demonstrations in Britain and Germany about climate change. It will continue tomorrow and Thursday with environmental and peace rallies against President Bush. But the big one is in Genoa, on Friday and Saturday, where the G8 leaders will meet behind the lines of 18,000 heavily armed police.

Unlike Prague, Gothenburg, Cologne or Nice, Genoa is expected to be Europe's Seattle, the coming together of the disparate strands of resistance to corporate globalisation.Neither the protesters nor the authorities know what will happen, but some things are predictable. Yes, there will be violence and yes, the mass media will focus on it. What should seriously concern the G8 is not so much the violence, the numbers in the streets or even that they themselves look like idiots hiding behind the barricades, but that the deep roots of a genuine new version of internationalism are growing.

For the first time in a generation, the international political and economic condition is in the dock. Moreover, the protesters are unlikely to go away, their confidence is growing rather than waning, their agendas are merging, the protests are spreading and drawing in all ages and concerns.

No single analysis has drawn all the strands of the debate together. In the mean time, the global protest "movement" is developing its own language, texts, agendas, myths, heroes and villains. Just as the G8 leaders, world bodies and businesses talk increasingly from the same script, so the protesters' once disparate political and social analyses are converging. The long-term project of governments and world bodies to globalise capital and development is being mirrored by the globalisation of protest.

But what happens next? Governments and world bodies are unsure which way to turn. However well they are policed, major protests reinforce the impression of indifferent elites, repression of debate, overreaction to dissent, injustice and unaccountable power.

Their options-apart from actually embracing the broad agenda being put to them-are to retreat behind even higher barricades, repress dissent further, abandon global meetings altogether or, more likely, meet only in places able to physically resist the masses.

Brussels is considering building a super fortress for international meetings. Genoa may be the last of the European super protests.

28. According to the context, the word "parties" at the end of the first paragraph refers to ____.
A. the meeting of the G8 leaders
B. the protests on Bastille Day
C. the coming panEuropean protests
D. the big protest to be held in Genoa

29. According to the passage, economic globalisation is paralleled by ____.
A. the emerging differences in the global protest movement
B. the disappearing differences in the global protest movement
C. the growing European concern about globalisation
D. the increase in the number of protesters

30. According to the last paragraph, what is Brussels considering doing?
A. Meeting in places difficult to reach.
B. Further repressing dissent.
C. Accepting the protesters' agenda.
D. Abandoning global meetings.

SECTION B SKIMMING AND SCANNING (10 MIN)

In this section there are seven passages with ten multiple choice questions. Skim or scan them as required and then mark your answers on your colored answer sheet.

First read the question.

31. The main purpose of the passage is to ____.
A. demonstrate how to prevent crime
B. show the seriousness of crime
C. look into the causes of crime
D. call for more government efforts

Now go through TEXT E quickly to answer question 31.

For three weeks, every night at 11 p.m., correspondents, officers and judges from justice courts, police departments and prisons, psychiatrists, criminologists, victims and even criminals in prisons made their appearance on TV to debate on a topic "Crime in the United States".

Indeed, crime has been disturbing the American people and has become a serious social problem just next to the unemployment problem. Some figures are terrifying: 1 of 4 Americans has been a victim of some kind of crimes; nearly 22 million crimecases occurred last year throughout the country. A simple arithmetic calculation indicates that on average, a crime is being committed in every 2 seconds. Now the Americans are living in a horrible environment. Their safety and property are threatened by various crimes: robbery, theft, rape, kidnapping, murder, arson, vandalism and violence.

The most worrisome problem comes from the fact that about onethird of crime cases were committed by the juvenile and 53% of criminals in jails are youngsters below 25. A poll indicates that about 73% of citizens said they avoided teenagers in streets, especially at night.

To protect themselves from crime, according to a released figure, 52% of Americans keep guns at home. But some gun owners turn out to be potential criminals. Some people demand that strict law for gun control be enforced; but others oppose the ban of gun. No decision is in sight.

Some experts said poverty, unemployment and racial discrimination are the cause of crime. They cited figures to show that 47% of crime cases were committed by the black, though they account for only about 12% of the population of the nation

Others argued that about 54% of convicted criminals came from families associated with these evils.The American state government and federal government spend billions of dollars each year in maintaining the police departments and jails. But police authorities complain that they have not sufficient well-trained hands and advanced equipment to detect and stop crimes. Several cases of criminal insurgence were reported as a result of resentment at overcrowded prisons. Taxpayers complain that they pay more and more tax but receive less and less protection from crime for their lives and property.

Though the host of the live TV programme made great efforts to search for a solution, so far no participant could put forward a measure that was approved by most of the attendants.

TEXT F

First read the question.

32. What is the main topic of the following passage?
A. Differences between modes of learning.
B. Deficiencies of formal learning.
C. Advantages of informal learning.
D. Social context and learning systems.

Now go through TEXT F quickly to answer question 32.

The term "formal learning" is used in this paper to refer to all learning that takes place in the classroom, irrespective of whether such learning is informed by conservative or progressive ideologies. "Informal learning", on the other hand, is used to refer to learning which takes place outside the classroom.

These definitions provide the essential, though by no means sole, difference between formal and informal learning. Formal learning is decontextualised from daily life and, indeed, as Scribner and Cole (1973:553) have observed, may actually "promote ways of learning and thinking which often run counter to those nurtured in practical daily life". A characteristic feature of formal learning is the centrality of activities that are not closely paralleled by activities outside the classroom. The classroom can prepare for, draw on, and imitate the challenges of adult life outside the classroom, but it cannot, by its nature, consist of these challenges.

In doing this, language plays a critical role as the major channel for information exchange. "Success" in the classroom requires a student to master this abstract code. As Bernstein (1969:152) noted, the language of the classroom is more similar to the language used by middle class families than that used by workin--class families. Middle-class children thus find it easier to acquire the language of the classroom than their working-class peers

Informal learning, in contrast, occurs in the setting to which it relates, making learning immediately relevant. In this context, language does not occupy such an important role: the child's experience of learning is more holistic, involving sight, touch, taste, and smell-senses that are under utilised in the classroom. While formal learning is transmitted by teachers selected to perform this role, informal learning is acquired as a natural part of a child's development. Adults or older children who are proficient in the skill or activity provide  sometimes unintentionally  target models of behaviour in the course of everyday activity. Informal learning, therefore, can take place at any time and is not subject to the limitations imposed by institutional timetabling.

The motivation of the learner provides another critical difference between the two modes of learning. The formal learner is generally motivated by some kind of external goal such as parental approval, social status, and potential financial reward. The informal learner, however, tends to be motivated by successful completion of the task itself and the partial acquisition of adult status.

TEXT G

First read the question.

33. The three approaches mentioned in the passage aim at ____.
A. restructuring economy
B. improving the tax system
C. improving the living conditions
D. reducing poverty

Now go through TEXT G quickly to answer question 33.

As a rule, it is essential that the poor's productive capabilities be mobilized and the conditions for developing these human resources be improved. In this connection, German development policy has developed the following three approaches:

Structural reform: Structural reform is the preferred approach for reducing poverty because it eliminates the causes of poverty rather than just its symptoms. It is vital that economic, political and social conditions which can alleviate poverty be established at national and international levels. Efforts at international level focus on fair conditions for international trade and competition.

At national level, the poor must be helped through structural reform such as the introduction of democratic government, options for independent private enterprise, decentralization and agricultural reform. Development policy tools for realizing such reforms include political dialogue, political advisory services, structural adjustment measures and personnel and material support for reform efforts in the government, business and administrative sectors.

Direct measures: Projects of this category are aimed at directly helping the poor and improving their living conditions or increasing their job options and earning potential. Of special importance are those projects which provide help for self-help in reducing poverty. The material support and advisory services offered by these projects reinforce the poor's will to help themselves and help eable them to lead self-sufficient lives. Typical direct aid projects include the construction of simple housing by self-help groups, the creation of a savings and loan system for the poorer segments of society and support for women's self-help organizations.

Indirect measures: A project's beneficiaries - its target group - are not only often difficult to identify clearly, they are also not necessarily all poor people. In these cases, the project in question must be integrated into one of the partner nation's overall or sectorspecific policies that aim at reducing poverty. A good illustration of this type of project is the use of advisory services to improve the tax system. Advising and upgrading the qualifications of personnel working in the fiscal system can lead to increased tax revenues which could be allocated for anti-poverty measures. In keeping with this focus, German development assistance concentrates on the poorest nations and on projects to reduce poverty. In 1993, some 10 percent of the commitments Germany made for bilateral financial and technical assistance went to self-help projects aimed at reducing poverty. Basic needs projects comprised 48 percent of all projects and almost 30 percent of the commitments made for financial and technical assistance were allocated for the world's least developed countries (LDCs).

TEXT H

First read the question.

34. What is the following passage mainly concerned with?
A. Educational facilities in Africa.
B. Founding a university for women.
C. Agricultural production in Zimbabwe.
D. Women's role in agricultural production.

Now go through TEXT H quickly to answer question 34.

Access to education facilities is inadequate in sub Saharan Africa. And women and girls there face greater disadvantages. They are often denied education as customs dictate they marry early and have children.

Two Zimbabwean academics plan to open a university to help African women whose education was interrupted by either family commitments or financial constraints.

The university will initially be in Harare, but will be relocated to Marondera, 80 kilometres east. The academics, Hope Sadza, former deputy commissioner of Zimbabwe's Public Service Commission and Fay Chung, former Minister of Education,
are to open the university this month. It will initially have 400 students.

Students will be split into groups of 100 and placed in one of four faculties: social science, agriculture, environmental studies or science and technology. The university is for women aged 25 or older.

The need for a university for women is more acute in Africa, where women are the poorest and most disadvantaged. When they do have access to education they often must endure ***ual harassment. Most women drop out because they lack educational materials or the schools are inaccessible.

"In Africa, women till the land and produce the bulk of the food, yet they have no understanding about marketing," Sadza siad. "Agriculture is another area where we can empower women."

The university will have a 285-hectare farm and courses will include agricultural production and marketing.

Women account for 80 per cent of Africa's agricultural production, but have no control over either the resources or policies.

The university since August has raised about Z$32.5 million (US$591,000) in donations and pledges. The university will be open to students from across Africa. It will be the second women's university - after Sudan's Ahfad University - in Africa.

TEXT I

First read the questions.

35. Which president advocated the lifting of the ban on women teachers?
A. Xu Yangqiu.
B. Wu Yifang.
C. Tao Xingzhi.
D. Chen Heqin.

36. What is Guo Juefu?
A. A painter.
B. A poet.
C. A biologist.
D. A psychologist.

Now go through TEXT I quickly to answer questions 35 and 36.

Many presidents of the century old Nanjing Normal University (NJNU) have put forward insightful and inspiring education theories and practices, which have had a far-reaching impact on China's education history.

Jiang Qian and Guo Bingwen proposed a school running principle that advocated the balance between versatility and specialization, liberal arts and sciences.

Tao Xingzhi, a well-known educator, carried out many important reforms in the university. For the first time in China, he advocated the lifting of the ban on women teachers and opened adult training classes in summer vacations.

Wu Yifang, China's first woman university president, emphasized normal education, regarding it as the parent engine and heavy industry of education.

Chen Heqin established a Chinesestyle and scientific theory for modern education for children. There have also been many noted scholars and artists. Educator Xu Yangqiu was one of China's earliest scholars to study American education theory.

Professor Luo Bingwen devoted himself to normal education theory and Chinese and foreign education history, advocating that teachers should be models of virtue for the students so that their behaviour guides the students.

Psychologist Guo Juefu is an important figure in China's psychological history. China Psychological History〖WTBZ〗, a book he authored, has made its mark in international psychological circles.

Zhang Daqian, a well-known master of traditional Chinese painting, advised his students to read books systematically and selectively to rid themselves of worldliness, fickleness and pedantry. Zhang also pointed out that success comes largely from one's own endeavours, but partly from circumstance.

Sun Wang, a poet versed in the poems popular in the Tang Dynasty (AD 618 907),told students to map out a long term schedule for their studies and to work towards fulfillment of their goal phase by phase.

Biologist Chen Bangjie overcame formidable difficulties to collect plant specimen and became China's father of bryology. Generations of talented educators have given Nanjing Normal University a fine reputation.

TEXT J

First read the questions.

37. The Chicago GSB M.B.A. Programme for Executives is scheduled to be completed within ____.
A.22 months
B.20 months
C.16 weeks
D.14 weeks

38. If you are in Malaysia, when is your attendance date?
A. January 17th.
B. January 15th.
C. January 29th.
D. February 27th

Now go through TEXT J quickly to answer questions 37 and 38.

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