FORECAST TESTS FOR ENGLISH MAJORS GRADE EIGHT-

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FORECAST TESTS FOR ENGLISH MAJORS
GRADE EIGHT-Test Two
PART I LISTENING COMPREHENSION
(30 MIN )
SECTION A MINI-LECTURE
In this section you will hear a mini-lecture. You will hear the lecture ONCE ONLY. While listening, take notes on
the important points, Your notes will not be marked, but you will need them to complete a gap-filling task on
ANSWER SHEET ONE after the mini-lecture, Use the blank sheet for note taking.
Now listen to the mini-lecture.
It is a timeworn sign of old age and frailty.
Yet
arthritis
often
(1)
______
the
young.
(1) ______
This
disease
of
the
body
also
has
a
(2)
______
impact
on
the
mind.
(2) ______
"got
very
(3)
______.
I
couldn't
sleep.
(3) ______
When
pain
is
(4)
______
like
that,
it
changes
your
personality.
(4)______
And it affected everyone around me," says Nora Baldner, who had arthritis in both hips. "I'd pour (5) ______
milk
on my kids' cereal because I didn't want to walk to the back of the supermarket where the real milk was." (5)
______
Joint problems are now hurting and crippling 43 million Americans, and they're more (6) ______ than cancer
or
diabetes.
(6) ______
The most common form, osteoarthritis, affects about 21 million. Rheumatoid arthritis, another common type,
hits
slightly more than 2 million. (There are 95 or so other forms, often affecting fewer people.)
And
the
numbers
are
going
up
(7)
______.
(7) ______
By
2025,
the
total
is
expected
to
top
(8)
______
million,
(8) ______
as an obese population pounds more heavily on its joints and an active generation of baby (9). ______ grinds
them
down.
(9) ______
What's worse, these people will be fighting the disease without medicines that had become staples of
treatment: The
drugs Vioxx and Bextra have just been yanked off the market because they appear to (10) ______ the risk of heart
disease,
(10) ______
and that same shadow of fear has been cast over remaining drugs like Celebrex and even ibuprofen-- a
medicine that
had already worded doctors because heavy use can cause bleeding in the stomach.
SECTION B INTERVIEW
Questions 1 to 5 are based on an interview. At the end of the conversation you will be give 10 seconds to answer
each of the following five questions.
Now listen to the interview.
1. According to Wolfensohn, they are going to make a needs assessment with their colleagues from ______.
A. the Asian Development Bank, the EU, Japan, and the United States
B. the Asian Development Bank, the U.S, Japan, and the United Nations
C. the Asian Development Bank, the UN, Japan and the United States
D. the Asian Development Bank, the UN, Japan, and the United Kingdoms
2. What is the specific role of the World Bank fight now?
A. To call the community to donate more money after emergency takes place
B. To provide financial help after the emergency takes place
C. To be ready with emergent financial crisis
D. To be ready for the financial needs of the community
3. Why wasn't there a better early-warning system for the natural disaster, like the tsunamis?
A. Because people were not afraid of that
B. Because tsunamis never happens in Indian Ocean
C. It would cost too much money
D. It was difficult for the people in Indian Ocean region to expect such an experience
4. Stephanopoulos pointed out that the number of today's natural disasters is about ______ limes more than that of
the 1960s.
A. 2
B. 3
C. 4
D. 5
5. What can you learn from the interview?
A. Kofi Annan said this was going to be a five-to-ten year effort costing 250 million dollars
B. Human is spending nine hundred billion dollars a year on military expenditure.
C. Wolfensohn called people to stop spend money on military expenditure
D. Wolfensohn believed that the poverty would never be relieved
SECTION C NEWS BROADCAST
Question 6 and 7 are based on the following news. At the end of the news item, you will be given 10 seconds to
answer each of the following questions.
Now listen to the news.
6. How many school districts and the National Education Association criticize the law?
A. three
B. six
C. nine
D. four
7. What was Utah's response?
A. It voted to approved the law
B. It voted to submit to the federal education reform law when conflict happened
C. It voted to quit its own education reform plan
D. It voted to place top importance on its own school performance system
Question 8 and 10 are based on the following news. At the end of the news item, you will be given 10 seconds to
answer each of the following questions.
Now listen to the news.
8. What is the favorite drink in Ireland?
A. coffee
B. stout
C. brandy
D. fresh milk
9. Which is the focal point for life in the village?
A. discotheques
B. cinemaplexes
C. church
D. pub
10. Which of the following sentence is wrong about Mayo and village life in Ireland?
A. Mayo is a very wild county.
B. In villages around Ireland coming to the pub is a primary entertainment.
C. It's very easy for you to feel part of the crowd.
D. Because of the wild environment, you should go to bed early at night.
PART II READING COMPREHENSION
(30 MIN)
TEXT A
In place of the king, two chief executives were chosen annually by the whole body of citizens. These were
known as praetors, or leaders, but later received the title of consuls. The participation of a colleague in the
exercise of supreme power and the limitation of the tenure to one year prevented the chief magistrate from
becoming autocratic. The character of the Senate was altered by the enrollment of plebeian members, known as
conscripti, and hence the official designation of the senators thereafter was patres conscripti (conscript fathers). As
yet, only patricians were eligible for the magistracies, and the discontent of the plebs led to a violent struggle
between the two orders and the gradual removal of the social and political disabilities under which the plebs had
labored.
In 494 BC a secession of plebeian soldiers led to the institution of the tribuni plebis, who were elected
annually as protectors of the plebs; they had the power to veto the acts of patrician magistrates, and thus served as
the leaders of the plebs in the struggles with the patricians. The appointment of the decemvirate, a commission of
ten men, in 451 BC resulted in the drawing up of a famous code of laws. In 445 BC, under the Canuleian law,
marriages between patricians and members of the plebs were declared legally valid. By the Licinian-Sextian laws,
passed in 367 BC, it Mas provided that one of the two consuls should thenceforth be plebeian. The other
magistracies were gradually opened to the plebs: in 356 BC the dictatorship, an extraordinary magistracy, the
incumbent of which was appointed in times of great danger; in 350 BC, the censorship; in 337 BC, the praetorship;
and in 300 BC, the pontifical and augural colleges.
These political changes gave rise to a new aristocracy, composed of patrician and wealthy plebeian families,
and admission to the Senate became almost the hereditary privilege of these families. The Senate, which had
originally possessed little administrative power, became a powerful governing body, dealing with matters of war
and peace, foreign alliances, the founding of colonies, and the handling of the state finances. The rise of this new
nobilitas brought to an end the struggles between the two orders, but the position of the poorer plebeian families
was not improved, and the marked contrast between the conditions of the rich and the poor led to struggles in the
later Republic between the aristocratic party and the popular party.
The external history of Rome during this period was chiefly military. Rome had acquired the leadership of
Latium before the close of the regal period. Assisted by their allies, the Romans fought wars against the Etruscans,
the Volscians, and the Aequians. The military policy of Rome became more aggressive in the 60 years between
449 and 390 BC. The defeat of the Romans at Allia and the capture and burning of Rome by the Gauls under the
leadership of the chieftain Brennus in 390 BC were great disasters, but their effect was temporary. The capture of
the Etruscan city of Veil in 396 BC by the soldier and statesman Marcus Furius Camillus spelled the beginning of
the end for Etruscan independence. Other Etruscan cities hastened to make peace, and by the middle of the 4th
century BC all southern Etruria was kept in check by Roman garrisons and denationalized by an influx of Roman
colonists. Victories over the Volscians, the Latins, and the Hernicans gave the Romans control of central Italy and
brought them into conflict with the Samnites of southern Italy, who were defeated in a series of three wars,
extending from 343 to 290 BC. A revolt of the Latins and Volscians was put down, and in 338 BC the Latin
League, a long-established confederation of the cities of Latium, was dissolved. A powerful coalition was at this
time formed against Rome, consisting of Etruscans, Umbrians, and Gauls in the north, and of Lucanians, Bruttians,
and Samnites in the south; this coalition endangered the power of Rome, but the northern confederacy was
defeated in 283 BC and the southern states soon after.
11. Which one is not true about the magistrate?
A. It was difficult for the chief magistrate to become a dictator
B. Any Roman had the chance to become the magistrate
C. The plebs couldn't hold the post of magistrate
D. Magistrate's power was limited
12. In 450 BC, the plebs ______.
A. had their own magistrate
B. were allowed to marry the patricians
C. must obey the famous Licinian-Sextian law
D. had their own leaders who could veto the acts of the nobles
13. The political changes led to ______.
A. new governing components
B. a more powerful senate
C. the appearance of two different parties
D. all of the above
14. According to the last paragraph, we know that ______.
A. the history of Rome in this period was marked with internal conflicts
B. Rome was invincible in this period
C. Gauls ended the prosperity of Rome
D. some Etruscan cities were frightened by Rome's victory
15. Which one is in the central Italy?
A. Volscians
B. Samnites
C. Umbrians
D. Bruttians
TEXT B
Paris: Thanks to a French insurance company, brides and bridegrooms with cold feet no longer face financial
disaster from a canceled wedding. For a small premium, they can take out a policy protecting them from love
gone away or anything else that threatens to rain on their big day.
Despite France's economic woes, the amount of money spent on weddings is rising 5-10 per cent a year. And
people in the Paris region now dish out an average of 60,000 francs on tying the knot. But life is unpredictable and
non-refundable, so French insurers have stepped in to ease the risk, finding their own little niche in the business of
love. They join colleagues in Britain, where insurers say wedding cancellation policies have been around for about
a decade.
About 5 per cent of insured weddings there never make it to the altar. Indeed, better safe than sorry.
"Obviously there are some who are superstitious, but in general people like the idea," said Jacqueline Loeb, head
of a Parisian insurance company.
In the past six weeks, she has sold 15 policies at a premium of about 3 per cent of the amount a client wants
to be insured for.
These careful customers, she said, have included a man who was worried his fiancee would have an allergic
attack on her wedding day and a woman whose future mother-in-law was gravely ill.
The policy covers those and other nuptial impediments: an accident that forces a cancellation of a wedding,
an unexpected change of venue for the reception, damage caused at it, and even honeymoons that don't happen. As
for the ultimate deal-breaker, cold feet, they are also insured-but only until eight days before the ceremony. British
insurers, however, said they wouldn't touch that clause with a stick. Steve Warner, sales director of Insure
Expo-Sure in London, says the six policies he sells each week in the wedding season protect against things like
damaged wedding dresses, illness and death, but not changes of heart." Disinclination to marry is not covered," he
said. Ms Loed, who says hers is the only French agency offering wedding policies, said she started the service last
December.
A chateau outside Paris that hosts receptions was taking a beating from last-minute cancellations, and
approached Ms Loed to see if there wasn't some way of protecting itself. She obliged, then started advertising with
caterers and wedding departments in large department stores, and the idea has taken off nicely." We respond to a
need," she said.
16. What's the main purpose of the passage?
A. To thank a French insurance company for what has been done.
B. To explain how a French insurance company works.
C. To tell brides and bridegrooms what to do before getting married.
D. To ask husband and wife-to-be to take out an insurance policy.
17. The cost for people in the Paris region on weddings last year was probably ______.
A. 50,000 francs
B. 57,000 francs
C. 60,000 francs
D. 63,000 francs
18. The policy covers the following EXCEPT ______.
A. unwillingness of marriage
B. suspension of honeymoon
C. changes of place for wedding
D. sudden death
19. "About 5 per cent of insured weddings there never make it to the altar." The sentence implies 5 per cent of
insured couples ______.
A. failed to go to the church
B. didn't change the place for wedding
C. didn't get married at all
D. didn't hold the wedding ceremony in a church
TEXT C
There is a great concern in Europe and North America about declining standards of literacy in schools. In
Britain, the fact that 30 percent of 16 year olds have a reading age of 14 or less has helped to prompt massive
educational changes. The development of literacy has far-reaching effects on general intellectual development and
thus anything that impedes the development of literacy is a serious matter for us all. So the hunt is on for the cause
of the decline in literacy. The search so far has forced on socioeconomic factors, or the effectiveness of"
traditional" versus" modern" teaching techniques. The fruitless search for the cause of the increase in illiteracy is a
tragic example of the saying" They can't see the wood for the trees". When teachers use picture books, they ate
simply continuing a long-established tradition that is accepted without question. And for the past two decades,
illustrations in reading primers have become increasingly detailed and obtrusive, while language has become
impoverished---sometimes to the point of extinction. Amazingly, there is virtually no empirical evidence to
support the use of illustrations in teaching reading. On the contrary, a great deal of empirical evidence shows that
pictures interfere in a damaging way with all aspects of learning to read. Despite this, from North America to the
Antipodes, the first books that many school children receive are totally without text. A teacher's main concern is to
help young beginner readers to develop not only the ability to recognize words, but the skills necessary to
understand what these words mean. Even ff a child is able to mad aloud fluently, he or she may not be able to
understand much of it: this is called" barking at text". The teacher', s takes of improving comprehension is made
harder by influences outside the classroom. But the adverse effects of such things as television, video games, or
limited language experiences at home, can be offset by experiencing "rich" language at school. Instead, it is not
unusual for a book of 30 or more pages to have only one sentence full of repetitive phrases. The artwork is often
marvelous, but the pictures make the language redundant, and the children have no need to imagine anything
when they read such books. Looking at a picture actively prevents children younger than nine from creating a
mental image, and can make it difficult for older children. In order to learn how to comprehend, they need to
practice making their own meaning in response to text. They need to have their innate powers of imagination
trained.
As they grow older, many children turn aside from books without pictures, and it is a situation made more
serious as our culture becomes more visual. It is hard to wean children off picture books when pictures have
played a major part throughout their formative reading experiences, and when there is competition for their
attention from so many other sources of entertainment. The least intelligent are most vulnerable, but tests show
that even intelligent children are being affected. The response of educators has been to extend the use of pictures
in books and to simplify the language, even at senior levels. The Universities of Oxford and Cambridge recently
held joint conferences to discuss the noticeably rapid decline in literacy among their undergraduates. Pictures are
also used to help motivate children to read because they are beautiful and eye-catching. But motivation to read
should be provided by listening to stories well read, where children imagine in response to the story. Then, as they
start to read, they have this experience to help them understand the language, If we present pictures to save
children the trouble of developing these creative skills, then I think we are making a great mistake.
Academic journals ranging from educational research, psychology, language learning, psycholinguistic, and
so on cite experiments, which demonstrate how detrimental picture are for beginner readers, Here is a brief
selection: The research results of the Canadian educationalist Dale Willows were clear and consistent pictures
affected speed and accuracy and the closer the pictures were to the words, the slower and more inaccurate the
child's reading became. She claims that when children come to a word they already know, then the pictures are
unnecessary and distracting. If they do not know a word and look to the pictures, which are not closely related to
the meaning of the word, they are trying to understand. Jay Samuels, an American psychologist, found that poor
readers given no pictures learnt significantly more words than those learning to read with books with pictures. He
examined the work of other researchers who reported problems with the use of pictures and who had found that a
word without a picture was superior to a word plus a picture. When children were given words and pictures, those
who seemed to ignore the pictures and pointed at the words learnt more words than the children who pointed at
the pictures, but they still learnt fewer words than the children who had no illustrated stimuli at all.
20. Readers are said to" bark" at a text when ______.
A. they read too loudly
B. there are too many repetitive words
C. they are discouraged from using their imagination D. they have difficulty assessing its meaning
21. The text suggests that ______.
A. pictures in books should be less detailed
B. pictures can slow down reading progress
C. picture books are best used with younger readers
D. pictures make modem books too expensive
22. University academics are concerned because ______.
A. young people are showing less interest in higher education
B. students cannot understand modem academic texts
C. academic books are too childish for their undergraduates
D. there has been a significant change in student literacy
23. The youngest readers will quickly develop good reading skills if they ______.
A. learn to associate the words in a text with pictures
B. are exposed to modem teaching techniques
C. are encouraged to ignore pictures in the text
D. learn the art of telling stories
TEXT D
President Bush has proposed adding optional personal accounts as one of the central elements of a major
Social Security reform proposal. Although many details remain to be worked out, the proposal would allow
individuals who choose to do so to divert part of the money they currently pay in Social Security taxes into
individual investment accounts. Individuals would have a choice of fund managers, and the return that they earn
from those accounts would then partially determine the Social Security benefit they receive when they retire.
Individual accounts pose a number of important and complex design and implementation issues, including
how to lower the cost of administering accounts so that they do not erode the value of pensions that individuals
receive when they retire, how many and what kinds of fund choices should be offered, and how to engage workers
in choosing funds.
In the late 1990s, Sweden added a mandatory individual accounts tier to its public pension system. This
policy brief examines the Swedish experience and lessons it suggests-for the United States about the design and
implementation challenges of individual accounts.
Sweden has one of the oldest and most comprehensive public pension systems in the world. But by the 1980s,
several problems with the system were becoming evident, including current funding deficits and a very large
projected funding shortfall as Sweden's population, which is among the oldest in the world, continued to age.
Between 1991 and 1998, Sweden adopted a new pension system built on three fundamental elements. A new
"income pension" is intended to tie pension benefits more closely to contributions made over the entire course of
an individual's working life, while lowering the overall cost of the system; it is financed entirely by a 16 percent
payroll tax. A "guarantee pension" provides minimum income support for workers with low lifetime earnings. It is
financed entirely by general government revenues and is income-tested against other public pension income.
The third element is a "premium pension" financed by a 2.5 percent payroll tax. These funds are placed in an
individual investment account. Individuals have a wide variety of fund choices. To lower administrative costs, and
the administrative burden on employers, collection of premium pension contributions and fund choices are
centrally administered by a new government agency, the Premium Pension Authority. Deposits into pension funds
are made only once a year, after complete wage records for a calendar year are available from the state tax
authorities. Employees choose up to five funds from a list of funds approved by the PPA. Swedes can change their
fund allocations as often as they want without charge, but the system is not designed to facilitate "day trading"--switching funds often takes several days.
The new pension system's planners recognized that many workers might not make an active pension fund
choice. They created a Seventh Swedish National Pension Fund to offer a default fund, called the Premium
Savings Fund, for those who do not choose a fund or simply prefer to have the government invest for them.
24 What can you learn about Bush's proposal of adding optional personal accounts?
A. People can transfer some money from their investment accounts to the Social Security taxes
B. The return people earn from their accounts can decide their social benefit decisively
C. People can spent more on investment and meanwhile receive more benefit in the future
D. These accounts will determine how much people can receive in their lives
25. Which one is not the fundamental element of the Swedish new pension system?
A. A new income pension
B. Workers with low lifetime earnings can receive minimum income support
C. A premium pension financed by personal income tax
D. A premium pension which is administered by a government agency
26. The Premium Pension Authority ______.
A. provides several funds for employees to choose
B is a non-governmental agency
C. pays the pension for people
D. centrally administers premium pension contributions and fund choices
TEXT E
Some recent historians have argued that life in the British colonies in America from approximately 1763 to
1789 was marked by internal conflicts among colonists. Inheritors of some of the viewpoints of early twentieth
century Progressive historians such as Beard and Becker, these recent historians have put forward arguments that
deserve evaluation. The kind of conflict most emphasized by these historians is class conflict. Yet with the
Revolutionary War dominating these years, how does one distinguish class conflict within that larger conflict?
Certainly not by the side a person supported. Although many of these historians have accepted the earlier
assumption that Loyalists represented an upper class, new evidence indicates that Loyalists, like rebels, were
drawn from all socioeconomic class. (It is nonetheless probably true that a larger percentage of the well-to do
joined the Loyalists than joined the rebels.) Looking at the rebels side, we find little evidence for the contention
that lower-class rebels were in conflict with upper-class rebels, indeed, the war effort against Britain tended to
suppress class conflicts. Where it did not, the disputing rebels of one or another class usually became Loyalists.
Loyalism thus operated as a safety valve to remove socioeconomic discontent that existed among the rebels.
Disputes occurred, of course, among those who remained on the rebel side, but the extraordinary social mobility
of eighteenth -- century American society (with the obvious exception of slaves) usually prevented such disputes
from hardening along class lines. Social structure was in fact so fluid -- though recent statistics suggest a
narrowing of economic opportunity as the latter half of the century progressed -- that to talk about social classes at
all requires the use of loose economic categories such as rich, poor, and middle class, or eighteenth-century
designations like" the better sort." Despite these vague categories one should not claim unequivocally that
hostility between recognizable classes cannot be legitimately observed. Outside of New York, however, there were
very few instances of openly expressed class antagonism.
Having said this, however, one must add that there is much evidence to support the further claim of recent
historians that sectional conflicts were common between 1763 and 1789. The" Paxton Boys" incident and the
Regulator movement are representative examples of the widespread, and justified, discontent of western settlers
against colonial or state governments dominated by eastern interests. Although undertones of class conflict existed
beneath such hostility, the opposition was primarily geographical. Sectional conflict -- which also existed between
North and South -- deserves further investigation.
In summary, historians must be careful about the kind of conflict they emphasize in eighteenth-century
American. Yet those who stress the achievement of a general consensus among the colonists cannot fully
understand the consensus without understanding the conflicts that had to be overcome or repressed in order to
reach it.
27. The author considers the contentions made by the recent historians discussed in the passage to be ______.
A. potentially verifiable
B. partially justified
C. logically contradictory
D. ingenious but flawed
28. According to the passage, Loyalism during the American Revolutionary War served the function of ______.
A. eliminating the disputes that existed among those colonists who supported the rebel cause
B. drawing upper, as opposed to lower, socioeconomic classes away from the rebel cause
C. tolerating the kinds of socioeconomic discontent that were not allowed to exist on the rebel side
D. absorbing members of socioeconomic groups on the rebel side who felt themselves in contention with
members of other socioeconomic groups
29. The passage suggests that the author would be likely to agree with which of the following statements about the
social structure of eighteenth-century American society?
Ⅰ. It allowed greater economic opportunity than it did social mobility.
Ⅱ. It permitted greater economic opportunity prior to 1750 than after 1750.
Ⅲ. It did not contain rigidly defined socioeconomic divisions.
Ⅳ. It prevented economic disputes from arising among members of the society.
A. Ⅰ and Ⅳ only
B. Ⅱ and Ⅲ only
C. Ⅲ and Ⅳ only
D. Ⅰ, Ⅱ, and Ⅲ only
30. According to the passage, which of the following is a true statement about sectional conflicts in America
between 1763 and 1789?
A. These conflicts were instigated by eastern interests against western settlers.
B. These conflicts were the most serious kind of confliet in America.
C. These conflicts eventually led to openly expressed class antagonism.
D. These conflicts contained an element of class hostility.
PART Ⅲ GENERAL KNOWLEDGE
(10 MIN)
There are ten multiple-choice questions in this section. Choose the best answer to each question. Mark your
answer sheet.
31. In the 1960s pop music underwent a revolution when ______ became world famous and turned their home
town of Liverpool into a place of pilgrimage.
A. the Beach Boys
B. the Rolling Stone
C. the Animals
D. the Beatles
32. The colony Virginia was named after ______.
A. Queen Elizabeth
B. Queen Blood Marry
C. King Charles
D. King George
33. Which is regarded as the backbone of England?
A. Pennies
B. Tyne
C. Ben Nevis
D. Helellyn
34. The climate of Britain may be generalized as ______.
A. changeable
B. rainy
C. foggy
D. moderate
35. Who was the leader of Federalists in the early history of United States?
A. Jefferson
B. Hamilton
C. Washington
D. Lincoln
36. ______ and William Shakespeare are the best representatives of the English humanism.
A. Edmund Spenser, Christopher Marlowe
B. Thomas More, Christopher Marlowe
C. John Donne, Edmund Spenser
D. John Milton, Thomas More
37. The middle of the 18th century was predominated by a newly rising literary form, that is the modem English
______, which gives a realistic presentation of life of the common English people.
A. prose
B. short story
C. novel
D. tragicomedy
38. By ______ we mean there is no logical connection between meanings and sounds
A. arbitrary
B. duality
C. displacement
D. productivity
39. Linguistics use ______ to refer to the abstract linguistic system shared by the members of a speech
community.
A. langue
B. parole
C. symbol
D. common knowledge
40. The American Civil War broke out in ______.
A. 1860
B. 1861
C. 1862
D. 1863
PART IV PROOFREADING AND ERROR CORRECTION
(15 MIN)
The following passage contains TEN errors. Each indicated line contains a maximum of One error, In each case.
only One word is involved. You should proof-read 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
la the blank provided at the end of the line. For an unnecessary word, cross out the unnecessary word with a
slash.
Art
can
be
made
of
almost
anything,
including
substances
1. ______.
that have not been produced and used in ages, and it comes in all shapes and sizes.
More importantly, scientists have to study art without affecting it,
2.
______.
and
that
usually
means
limited,
destructive
tests.
3. ______.
If they have to take a sample, it must be as small as possible.
In the objects conservation lab, the big samples look as the period at the end of this sentence.
4.
______.
Small samples are microscopic. The scientists have developed
creative ways to deal the constraints. Consider the case of the fish pendant.
5.
______.
Gold with multicolored enamel, it was originally thought to date in the 16th century.
6.
______.
And curators and conservators saw that the style was all wrong for that period.
7.
______.
It was either mislabeled or a pretence. Mark Wypyski, a glass specialist who runs
8.
______.
the scanning electron microscope at the museum, took a tiny porcelainlike sample
from a green part of the pendant and bombarded it with electrons, causing it
to emit X-rays characteristic of the elements in it. Mr. Wypyski interpreted
the
results
as
they
popped
on
a
computer
monitor.
9. ______.
There was chromium, which was not used in glass or enamels since the 19th century.
10. ______.
PART V TRANSLATION
(60 MIN)
SECTION A CHINESE TO ENGLISH
Translate the following text into English. Write your translation on ANSWER SHEET THREE.
父亲是个胖子,走过去自然要费事些。我本来要去的,他不肯,只好让他去。我看见他戴着黑布小帽,
穿着黑布大马褂,深青布棉袍,蹒跚地走到铁道边,慢慢探身下去,尚不大难。可是他穿过铁道,要爬上
那边月台,就不容易了。他用两手攀着上面,两脚再向上缩:他肥胖的身子向左微倾,显出很努力的样子。
这时我看见他的背影,我的泪很快地流了卜来。我赶紧拭干了泪,怕他看见,也怕别人看见。我再向外看
时,他已抱了朱红的橘子往回走了。过铁道时,他先将橘子散放在地上,自己慢慢爬 F,再抱起橘子走。
到这边时,我赶紧去搀他。他和我走到车上,将橘子一股脑-儿放在我的皮大衣上。于是扑扑衣上的泥土,
心里很轻松似的。
SECTION B ENGLISH TO CHINESE
Translate the following part of the text into Chinese. Write your translation on ANSWER SHEET THREE.
Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and so
dedicated, can long endure. We are met on a great battle-field of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of
that field, as a final resting place for those who hem gave their lives that that nation might live. It is altogether
firing and proper that we should do this.
But, in a larger sense, we can not dedicate - we can not consecrate - we can not hallow - this ground. The
brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract.
The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for
us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so
nobly advanced.
PART VI WRITING
(45 M1N)
English, which plays an important role in the process of globalization, is now a compulsive course in our
country. English is required in every field. But to master a language is not an easy thing. People come across a lot
of problems when they are learning. Some say that a good memory is the most important element in learning
English. What is your opinion on this statement? You are to write a composition of about 400 words to give and
support your opinion. You should supply a rifle for your article.
In the first part of your writing you should present your thesis statement, and in the second part you should
support the thesis statement with appropriate details. In the last part you should bring what you have written to a
natural conclusion or a summary.
Marks will be awarded for content, organization, grammar and appropriateness. Failure to follow the above
instructions may result in a loss of marks.
Write your composition on ANSWER SHEET FOUR.
答案
Test Two 试题答案解析及录音原文
PPART I LISTENING COMPREHENSION
SECTION A MINI-LECTURE
1. strikes
2. terrible
3. depressed.
4. constant
5. evaporated
6. costly
7. steadily
8.60
9. boomers
10. raise
SECTION B INTERVIEW
1-5 C B D C B
SECTION C NEWS BROADCAST
6-10 C D B D D
PART II READING COMPREHENSION
11-15 B D D D A
15-20 D B A C D
21-25 B D C C C
26-30 D B D B D
11.[答案]B。第一段中明确讲到由于是两个人共享权力,而且这种权力是有时限的,所有治安官不易成
为独裁者,故 A 和 D 是正确的,第一段指出,平民虽能进入议会,但是只有贵族才能担任治安官。由此
可以推断出答案 C 是正确的。而最后错误的只有 B,并不是人人都可以担任治安官。
12.[答案]D。题目中的时间很重要,公元前 450 年。以此为依据在第二段中进行判断。在公元前 494 年时,
出现了护民官(tribuni plebis)机制,保护平民,但他们不是治安官,故 A 错误:B 所说的平民和贵族通婚则
始于公元前 445 年,晚于公元前 450 年,故错误;C 所说的法律,根据此段可知,通过于公元前 367 年,
时间也是错误的;答案 D 则反映了护民官的出现,故正确。
13.[答案]D。详见第 3 段。
14.[答案]D。最后一段第一句指出,这一阶段的罗马史以军事斗争为标志,主要是对外战争,答案 A 则
说是以国内冲突为特征,所以是错误的;答案 B 说罗马在此阶段不可战胜,而最后一段指出,高卢人曾经
打败罗马答案 C 与历史不符,高卢人虽然打败过罗马,但文章指出这种灾难性影响是暂时性的;答案 D
同原文相符合。
15.[答案]A。详见最后一段
16.[答案]D。推理题。本文一开始就介绍了在结婚过程中会出现的各种各样的不利情况,然后又介绍了结
婚保险的内容及范围。其目的是为了让将要成为夫妻的人们入保了。故 D 为正确答案。
17.[答案]B。计算题。此题答案可通过第 2 段中提到的内容计算得出:
“Despite France's economic woes,
the amount of money spent on wedding is rising 5-10 percent a year.And people in the Pairs region now dish out
an average of 60,000 francs on tying the knot.
”故 B 为正确答案。
18.[答案]A。细节题。此题问的是结婚保险不包括哪一项。解此题可用排除法。根据文章第 6 段中“The
policy covers those and other nuptial impediments:
.
,
.an unexpected change of venue for the reception,and even
honeymoons that don't happen”分别排除 C 结婚地点,和 B 取消蜜月,另在第 6 段中“…the six policies he sell
seach week in the wedding season protect against things like damaged wedding dresses,illness and death”(突然
死亡,排除 D)。文章中明确指出“but not changes of heart”,即结婚保险不包括“变心”或“不愿意结婚”
(unwillingness of marriage)这两种情况。故 A 应为正确答案。
19.[答案]C。理解题。此题主要是考察对“make it to the altar” (走向圣坛)的理解。西方人的婚礼一般
都在教堂举行,所以这句话字面的意思是 5%的结婚保险投保人从没走向圣坛。实际上意思是 5%的参加
了保险的婚礼根本就没能举行。故 C 应为正确答案。
20.[答案]D。该题问:读者在什么情况下被认为是在吠叫?在本文的第四段中可以找到线索 Even if a child
is able to read aloud fluently,he or she may not be able to understand much of it:this is called barking at text。
因此可知不能理解文章的意思才是 bark 的含义,所以 D 项为正确选项。
21.[答案]B。该题问:本文建议什么?本文全文在说图画影响学生的识宇能力和阅读能力。B 项意为“图
画会减慢阅读能力的发展。孩子一开始就接触到图画书,他们渐渐习惯了看图,而忽略了文字”,在本文
的倒数第二段可以找到线索说明图画阅读速度和理解,因此此项为正确选项。
22.[答案]D。该题问:大学的学者们十分焦虑的原因是什么?D 项意为“学生的读写能力发生了巨大的变
化”
,在本文的第二段可以找到线索 There sponse of educators has been to extend the use of pictures in books
and to simplify the language,even at senior levels.The Universities of Oxford and Cambridge recently held joint
conferences to discuss the noticeably rapid decline in literacy among their undergraduates.意为“教育家们已经
开始对在高年级出现的使用图画和简化语言的现象做出反应。牛津和剑桥大学最近召开联合会议,讨论大
学读写能力下降的问题”
。因此可知 D 项为正确选项。
23.[答案]C。该题问:年轻的读者会很快掌握阅读技巧,如果他们……A 项意为“将字和图画联系起来”,
本文正好反对借助图画来阅读。B 项意为“如果接受现代教学法”,在本文并没有提到。C 项意为“如果他
们能在课文中忽略图画”
。在本文的最后一段可找到线索 When children were given words and pictures,those
who seemed to ignore the pictures and pointed at the words learnt more words than the children who pointed at
the pictures, but they still learnt fewer words than the children who had no illustrated stimuli at all 意为“阅渎
图画书时,那些忽略图画只读文字的孩子比看图的孩子多认识许多字,但他们仍比不了根本没有图片看的
孩子”
,因此正确选项为 C 项。
24.[答案]C。从第一段可得知,根据布什的提案,人们可以从他们当前支付的社会安全税中,将一部分钱
转移到个人投资账户中,答案 A 将对象弄反了;第一段最后一句讲到,这些胀户能部分地(partially)决定人
们退休后拿的社会安全福利。故答案 B 所用的词“决定性地”(decisively)同原文相悖;答案 D 错在时间限
定之上,这些账户将会决定人们退休后的福利多少,而不是他们一生的福利多少;答案 c 概括性地描述了
这一提议的好处,即将社会福利税收和个人投资有机结合了起来,投资得多,退休后领取的福利金就越多。
25.[答案]C。从第五段至第六段,讲述了瑞典新福利制度的三大基本要素。C 之所以错,在于弄错了养老
金的来源,原文讲到,养老金“financed by a 2.5 percent payroll tax”,即是由工资税缴纳的,而非个人所得
税。
26.[答案]D。倒数第二段讲到 PPA 批准了一些基金,雇主可以从中选取五种,而非雇员,所以答案 A 错
误; PPA 是一个新成立的政府机构,而不是非政府性质的,所以 B 错误,PPA 主要是为人们提供一种养
老金的管理途径,并不负责支付养老金,所以不能选 C:答案 D 可从倒数第二段中找到。
27.[答案]B。该题问:作者认为在本文中讨论的近代史学家得出的论点是怎样的?A 项意为“有可能被证
实的”
;B 项意为“部分被证实的”
;C 项意为“逻辑上是矛盾的”;D 项意为“有创造性但存在缺点的”
。
这些人是文中唯一的观点的代表者,作者对其持复杂态度。应找一个有限定词修饰的选项。在本文的最后
一段可以找到线索 In summary,historians must be careful about the kind of conflict they emphasize in
eighteenth-century America 意为“总之,历史学家必须谨慎地对待他们所强调的在 18 世纪美国存在的冲突
类型”
。因此可知 B 项为正确选项。
28.[答案]D。该题问:对本文而言,美国独立战争的保皇主义作用是什么?D 项意为“吸收造反派中的社
会经济阶层的成员,这些人感到自己与其它社会经济阶目有冲突”,在本文的第一段中可找到相关线索
Loyalism thus operated as a safety valve to remove socioeconomic discontent that existed among the rebels 意为”
因此保皇主义成了一个消除存在于造反派内部的社会经济矛盾的安全阀门”。因此可判断 D 项为正确选项。
29.[答案]B。该提问:本文暗示,关于七、八世纪美国社会结构的描述,作者将同意哪种观点?Ⅰ.与社
会流动性相比,它允许更多的经济社会。在本文中并没有此比较。Ⅱ.与 1750 年以后相比,1750 年之前
它允许更多的经济社会。这在本文的第一段中可以找到线索 though recent statistics suggest a narrowing of
economic opportunity as the latter half of the century progressed 意为“尽管最近的统计数据表是,18 世纪后期
经济机会趋于减少”
。因此可知Ⅱ为正确的。
Ⅲ.它不包括严格定义的社会经济划分。在本文的第一殴中可以找到线索 that to talk about social classes at all
re- quires the Use of loose economic categories such as rich, poor,and middle class,or eightecnth-century
designations like the better sort 意为“以致于在讨论社会阶段时,需要使用一些较含糊的经济范畴,如富人、
穷人和中间阶段,或者用 18 世纪的‘较好的阶级’这类名称”
。因此可知Ⅲ为正确的。
Ⅳ.它阻止了社会成员之间经济纠纷的发生。在本文的第一段中有线索 usually prevented such disputes from
hard- ening along class lines 意为“通常使这些争执不至于在阶级路线上僵硬地发展下去”。这说的是阻止恶
化,而不是阻止产生。因此不正确。因此比较 A、B、C、D 四项,B 项为正确选项。
30.[答案]D。该题问:根据本文,有关 1763 年和 1789 年之间的美国地区冲突的陈述,下述哪一项是正确
的? D 项意为
“这些冲突包含有阶级敌对的因素”,在本文的倒数第二段中有线索 Although undertones of class
conflict existed beneath such hostility 意为“尽管这些敌对情绪之下潜伏着阶级冲突”。因此可知 D 项为正确
选项。
PART Ⅲ GENERAL KNOWLEDGE
31-35 D A A D B
36-40 B C A A B
PART IV PROOFREADING AND ERROR CORRECTION
1. of → from
2. importantly → important
3. destructive → nondestructive
4. as → like
5. deal^ the constraints → deal with the constraints
6. in → from
7. And → But
8. pretence → forgery / fake
9. pop^on → up
10. since → until
解析:
1.[考点]短晤搭配及逻辑关系。be made of 指的是容易判断出原材料的物品,而 be made from 指的是难以
判断出原材料的物品。这里兼顾到后面的文章中的“substances that have not been produced and used in ages”,
可以判断出应该使用后者。
2.[考点]词语使用。这里的“more important”是作为句子开头的插入语,因此按照语言习惯使用形容词形
式。
3.[考点]逻辑关系。由上文的“scientists have to study art without affecting it”一句判断,这里应该是非破
坏性的措施。
4.[考点]词语搭配。这里指的是看起来“像……一样(大)”的意思,因此应该用 like。
5.[考点]固定搭配。deal 在作为“处理”讲时为不及物动词,后面加 with。
6.[考点]固定搭配。可以“追溯到……时候”是固定短语 date from。
7.[考点]逻辑关系。由上下文判断,这里指的是“本来认定为……”,但发现事实并不是这样,因此应当
使用转折连词。
8.[考点]逻辑关系及词义辨析。这里根据上下文判断是指“要么判断错误,要么是赝品”,而 pretence 指
的是“虚伪,伪装”
,意义上不符合。forgery 和 fake 都指的是“仿冒真品造出的复制品”
,即赝品。
9.[考点]词语使用。pop 一词虽然为不及物动词,指“突然出现”,但是必须要加副词或者介词短语使用,
在显示器上出现,即我们常说的“跳出……”
,是 pop up。
10.[考点]逻辑关系及词语使用。根据上下文判断,说的是本来认为 16 世纪的艺术品,被发现含有 19 世
纪以后才使用的材料,加之前面主句用了否定,因此“not..
.until”,
“直到……才”是正确的用法,而使
用 since 则是错误的。
PART V TRANSLATION
SECTION A CHINESE TO ENGLISH
As my father is a stout man, this was naturally not easy for him. But when I volunteered to go instead he
would not hear of it. So I watched him in this black cloth cap and jacked and dark blue cotton-padded gown, as he
waddled to the tracked and climbed slowly down - not so difficult after all. But when he had crossed the lines he
had trouble clambering up the other side. He clutched the platform with both hands and tried to heave his legs up,
straining to left. At the sight of Iris burly back, tears started to my eyes, but I wiped the hastily so that neither he
nor anyone else might see them. When next I looked out, he was on his way back with some ruddy tangerines. He
put these on the platform before climbing slowly down to cross the lines, which he did after picking the fruit up.
When he reached my side, I was there to help him up. We board the train together and he plumped the tangerines
down on my coat. Then he brushed the dust from his clothes, as if that was a weight offhis mind.
SECTION B ENGLISH TO CHINESE
当前,我们正在从事一次伟大的内战,我们在考验,究竟这个国家,或任何一个有这种主张和这种信
仰的国家,是否能长久存在。我们在那次战争的一个伟大的战场上集合。我们来到这里,奉献那个战场上
的一部分土地,作为在此地为那个国家的生存而牺牲了自己生命的人永久眠息之所。我们这样做,是十分
合情合理的。
可是,就更澡一层意义而言,我们是无从奉献这片土地的——无从使它成为圣地——也不可能把它变
为人们景仰之所。那些在这里战斗的勇士,活着的和死去的,已使这块土地神圣化了,远非我们的菲薄能
力所能左右。世人会不大注意,更不会长久记得我们在此地所说的话,然而他们将永远忘不了这些人在这
里所做的事。相反,我们活着的人应该献身于那些曾在此作战的人们所英勇推动而尚未完成的工作。
PART VI WRITING
Is a Good Memory the Most Important Factor in Learning English?
Nowadays more and more people have realized the importance of English and riveted their attention on the
mastery of this language. Some people, through diligence and perseverance, become quite good at using this
language while some others, despite their hard work, still lag behind. Why do different results befall the English
learners who exert the same strength? Over this question, people of differing circles have been sparring with
fervor and passion for years, but no definite conclusions have been reached yet. Some think that a good memory is
thc most important factor in learning English. In my opinion, a good memory plays an important, yet by no means
the pivotal role in our language acquisition.
There is no blinking the fact that a large vocabulary is necessary. When we read an English article, we should
be familiar with a large number of words so that we can gain an explicit comprehension of what is told; when we
write an English composition, we should try to make use of various forms of expressions to vivify what we write;
when we make an extempore speech in English in the presence of many students and teachers, we should resort to
the multitudinous words to avoid the disjointed sentences in case of stage fright. A good memory is obviously
very conductive to the enrichment of our vocabulary. People who have an average, it' not good, memory will find
it quite hard to memorize the words accurately, especially when they are exposed to number of strange words. As
a result, they be~n to complain about their bad memory and get gradually bogged into the mire of rote, thus losing
their previous passion for this language. This is a common phenomenon in our learning English. So in this aspect,
a good memory appears very important.
Furthermore, it is an accomplished fact that a good memory helps promote our listening ability. In the
listening test, a flow of words will soon be articulated. Under this circumstance, it sometimes verges on being
impossible for us to tackle all the questions immediately after we finish the listening, so a memory plays a
significant part in helping us recall what is told in the tape. But we should bear in mind that the proficiency in a
certain language comprises many aspects, such as listening, speaking, writing and reading. A good memory itself
cannot solve all the problems when people learn English.
If people do not learn hard or learn by heart, they can not master English even ~4th good memories. Also, the
methods of how to combine the words and sentences are also very important and should be gained by industry. We
cannot say that those Americans of Englishmen master their mother tongue because of their good memory. So I
think that diligence, instead of good memory, is the most important factor in learning English.
PART I LISTENING COMPREHENSION
SECTION A MINI-LECTURE
It is a timeworn sign of old age and frailty. Yet arthritis often strikes the young. This disease of the body also
has a terrible impact on the mind. "I got very depressed...I couldn't sleep. When pain is constant like that, it
changes your personality. And it affected everyone around me," says Nora Baldner, who had arthritis in both hips.
"I'd pour evaporated milk on my kids' cereal because I didn't want to walk to the back of the supermarket where
the real milk was."
Joint problems are now hurting and crippling 43 million Americans. and they're more costly than cancer or
diabetes. The most common form, osteoarthritis, aftects about 21 million. Rheumatoid arthritis, another common
type, hits slightly more than 2 million. (There are 95 or so other forms, often affecting fewei people ) And the
numbers are going up steadily. By 2025, the total is expected to top 60 million, as an obese population pounds
more heavily on its joints and an active generation of baby boomers grinds them down.
What's worse, these people will be fighting the disease without medicines that bad become staples of
u'eatment: The drugs Vioxx and Bextra have just been yanked off the market because they appear to raise the risk
of heart disease, and that same shadow of fear has been cast over remaining drugs like Celebrex and even
ibuprofen-- a medicine that had already worried doctors because heavy use can cause bleeding in the stomach.
SECTION B INTERVIEW
George Stephanopoulos: Mr. Wolfensohn welcome. You just heard the Secretary-General, Kofi Annan, say
tiffs is going to be a five-to-ten year effort costing billions of dollars, your organization pledged $250 million
earlier in the week, is it safe to assume that number is going to go up?
World Bank President James D. Woltensohn: Yes, it's certain that it will. The $250 million is for the
immediate emergency and, as you heard from the Secretary-General and from your correspondents, the real
question at the moment is delivering supplies, making sure that people have water and medical attention, it's not
the distribution of the money. So this that we've indicated is tbr immediate reconstruction nceds and after that
there will be a great deal more coming.
Stephanopoulos: So this is just a downpayment. Do you have any idea what kind of investment the World
Bank is going to be making over the long-term?
Wolfensohn: I think it is very, very difficult to say at this moment. We'll be going out within a couple of
weeks to do a needs assessment in these countries along with our colleagues from the Asian Development Bank.
from the UN, from Japan, ti'om the Unitcd States. What is important is to let the people in the countries drive what
their needs are and have a coordinated effort, engage the community, and only after that will we know how much.
It's my expectation that the community will come together and give these governments considerable help.
Stephanopoulos: Billitms? Are you. saying you expect in to be billions?
Wolfensohn: Well it will be some billions of dollars that will come from the international community and my
guess is that the World Bank itself will probably double or treble the amount of money for further reconstruction.
Stephanopoulos: As you talk with the core group, as you talk with the Secretary-General, as you talk with
your representatives on the ground, how are you all dividing up responsibilities, what is the specific role of the
World Bank right now?
Wolfensohn: Well the specific role of the World Bank is to be rcady with financial assistance immediately
after this emergency takes place because you need to reconnect water, you need to reconnect power, you need
roads, you need bridges, and that has to be done urgently. At this moment, the critical need is survival and
immediately after the emergency then the World Bank and the other agencies come in to work under the
leadership of the governments, to make sure that the locality is reconstructed both physically and emotionally. The
thing that is crucial here is the human dimension of it and the other aspect that we need to understand is that these
areas are real poverty areas. These are areas in which we've been working for many, many years, and there are
also areas, interestingly enough, which have been subject to conflict. So, we have a dimension of work, which
ranges from the human to the resolution of conflict in conjunction with the UN and then under the leadership of
the government, the reconstruction itself.
Stephanopoulos: I know that in recent years the World Bank is starting to pay more attention to preventing
the worst effects of natural disasters before they happen, why wasn't a better early-warning system in place here?
Wolfensohn: Well I think no-one expected, in the Indian Ocean, to have the same experience that there was in
the Pacific. I think you that in the tsunamis that have happened just recently in the last 50 years that they're
generally centered on the Pacific and there has been an early-warning system, and in the case of the Maldives,
which is in the Indian Ocean. It was so vulnerable that at least some wall was put up in the capital. But I think
no-one expected a disaster of these p:oporfions and I'm quite certain that the nations are now, going to come
together and ensure that an early-wanting system takes place.
Stephanopoulos: And what more can be done to create this kind of culture of prevention. As you look over
this last generation. back in the early 1960s you get about one hundred of these natural disasters a year, now we're
seeing five hundred a year, and we all know that the poorest areas end up having by far the worst fallout yet the
numbers I've seen show that the World Bank and other international organizations are only dedicating about ten
percent of your budgets to prevention. Can more be done, and what should be done?
Wolfensohn: Well the major problem we have as you know is the total amount of money that is going to
countries in poverty and we have to take it terms of priorities. What you're saying is exactly con-ect, that the
world is spending fifty or sixty billion dollars only on assisting developing countries, while we're spending nine
hundred billion dollars a year on military expenditure. What we need to do is increase the totality of money that is
given to the poorest areas and then we can do more on prevention but we have crucial needs at the moment just to
get people out of poverty and to get the eight hundred million people that go to bed at night hungry, give them
some food and some hope.
News Item One (For questions 6 to 7)
School governing organizations in three states and the nation's largest teachers' union recently brought legal
action against the federal government. Nine school districts and the National Education Association criticize a
federal education reform law.
They say the Department of Education has failed to provide enough money for schotils to carry out the law
called No Child Left Behind. They accuse the Department of Education of violating a part of the law that says
states cannot be forced to spend their own money to meet the federal requirements. They say fully obeying the law
would cost the states thousands of millions of dollars to test students.
The state of Utah also criticized the law. State lawmakers voted to place top importance on Utah's own school
performance system when it conflicts with the federal government. Utah and several other states say troy want to
use their own educational reform plans.
News Item Two (For questions 8 to 10)
Voice One: Mayo is one of the wildest of Ireland's counties. Its rolling hills and lonely bog land remain
startlingly undeveloped, unpopulated and unspoiled. In many of the sleepy villages which dot the area, lite has
changed little. And you'll come across small communities where the ancient language Gaelic is still spoken.
As well as a strong sense of tradition, everywhere you go in Mayo, you can't help but notice the depth and
significance of Ireland's devout faith. While the church is the focus of spiritual life in Ireland, it's the pub which is
the focal point for life in the village.
Voice Two: Ireland without pubs would be like Saudi Arabia without sand. In villages around Ireland, they
wouldn't have discotheques, cinemaplexes. So they come to the pub for their entertainment-the chat and the banter
and the craic,
"craic" meaning fun in Ireland.
You'll find in an Irish pub there's always a welcome for you. That it be a stranger or a visitor or a local,
they're always full of chat and conversation.
A pint of stout would be the most popular drink in Ireland. Um, it's something that you have to acquke a taste
for. but once you acquire it, it's like fresh milk. You just...you'll never forget the taste of it.
This is the end of Listening Comprehension.
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