Part I Listening Comprehension (25 minutes, 30 points)

Section A (6 points)

Directions: In this section, you will hear 6 short conversations. At the end of each conversation, a question will be asked about what was said. Both the conversation and the question will be read only once. After each question, there will be a pause. During the pause, you must read the three choices marked A, B and C, and decide which is the best answer. Then mark the corresponding letter on the Answer Sheet with a single line through the centre.

1.    A. He hasn’t found a suitable one.               B. He hasn’t enough money.

       C. He prefers his old one.

2.    A. In ten minutes.             B. In fifteen minutes.            C. In twenty minutes.

3.    A. Have dinner with Mary.                          B. See a film with Mary.

       C. Do his homework.

4.    A. Rainy.                            B. Sunny.                               C. Cloudy.

5.    A. He has to go to the bank.                       B. He has missed the train.

       C. His train has been delayed.

6.    A. ￡315.                             B. ￡350.                                 C. ￡375.

Section B (4 points)

Directions: In this section, you will hear one long conversation. The conversation will be read only once. At the end of the conversation, there will be a one-minute pause. During the pause, you must read the four questions, each with three choices marked A, B and C, and decide which is the best answer. Then mark the corresponding letter on the Answer Sheet with a single line through the centre.

7. What office is the student looking for?

       A. Accounting.                    B. Economic History.               C. Economics.

8. When was the orientation meeting held?

       A. Yesterday.                       B. Last Friday.                        C. A week ago.

9. What is the rule about attendance at lectures?

       A. It is optional.                  B. It is necessary.                    C. It is difficult to enforce.

10. How often does the student have to attend tutorials?

       A. Once every other week.                         B. Three times a week.

       C. Once a week.

Section C (10 points)

Directions: In this section, you will hear 10 short news items. After each item, there will be a pause. During the pause, you must read the question and then the three choices marked A, B and C, and decide which is the best answer. Then mark the corresponding letter on the Answer Sheet with a single line through the centre.

11. When did the bomb go off in a popular market in central Baghdad?

       A. Late in the evening.         B. At mid-morning.                  C. Late in the afternoon.

12. What’s the purpose of the Amber Alert program?

       A. To report the number of children missing in the U.S. every year.

       B. To help find the children who are believed to have been abducted.

       C. To find out the reasons why children are kidnapped in the U.S.

13. How many villages have been involved in the inter-communal fighting in Chad?

       A. Fewer than 8.                 B. About 10.                           C. Over 20.

14. What is the best tactic when you’re caught up by a rolling wave of snow?

       A. To create space around you.                   B. To outrun the avalanche.

       C. To leave the ski resort instantly.

15. What’s the news item mainly talking about?

       A. Development of medical technology.       B. Health care in California.

       C. Health insurance in the U.S.

16. How many people did bird flu kill in Indonesia in two weeks?

       A. 5.                                  B. 2.                                      C. 35.

17. What’s the function of the new drug produced by Pfizer?

       A. Reducing dogs’ weight.

       B. Increasing dogs’ appetite.

       C. Controlling dogs’ population.

18. What will soon begin in the southern Senegalese towns?

       A. Planting new agricultural crops.             B. Biofuel production.

       C. Fuel recycling.

19. When did Ponti begin making films?

       A. In 1913.                         B. In 1931.                             C. In 1938.

20.   What’s the main reason Democrats could regain control of Congress after 12 years?

       A. Nancy Pelosi has become their leader.

       B. Americans are dissatisfied with the Iraq war.

       C. They support sending more troops to Iraq.

Section D (10 points)

Directions: In this section, you will hear a short passage. There are ten missing words or phrases in it. Fill in the blanks with the exact words you hear on the tape. Remember to write the answers on the Answer Sheet.

Every traveller has a tale to tell about bad driving. These are usually exaggerated (21) __________ of life on the main streets of cities where the motorists are crazy and traffic lights are treated as colourful (22) __________.

It all happened on a Sunday April morning. I (23) __________ my intention to turn left into a side road and paused as the oncoming traffic cleared. But as I drove across the road, an elderly man driving a battered Renault 12 chose to overtake me (24) __________ pass on the inside. There was a fearful bang and my car was pushed sideways. I felt groggy and bruised and was taken to hospital in the back seat of a police car. There my spleen was removed. Fortunately, though, my recovery was steady and (25) __________.