Section C

Directions: In this section, you will hear recordings of lectures or talks followed by some questions. The recordings will be played only once. After you hear a question, you must choose the best answer from the four choices marked A), B), C) and D). Then mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 1 with a single line through the centre.

老龄化社会Now listen to the following recording and answer questions 16 to 19.

Moderator:

Hello Ladies and Gentleman, it gives me great pleasure to introduce our keynote speaker for today’s session, Dr. Howard Miller. Dr. Miller, Professor of Sociology at Washington University, has written numerous articles and books on the issues facing older Americans in our graying society(选项中同义替换：senior citizens) for the past 15 years. Dr. Miller:

Dr. Miller:

Thank you for that introduction. Today, I’d like to preface my remarks with a story from my own life which I feel highlights the common concerns that bring us here together. Several years ago when my grandparents were well into their eighties, they were faced with the reality of no longer being able to adequately care for themselves. My grandfather spoke of his greatest fear, that of leaving the only home they had known for the past 60 years. Fighting back the tears, he spoke proudly of the fact that he had built their home from the ground up, and that he had pounded every nail and laid every brick in the process. The prospect of having to sell their home and give up their independence, and move into a retirement home was an extremely painful experience for them. It was, in my grandfather’s own words, like having a limb cut off. He exclaimed in a forceful manner that he felt he wasn’t important anymore.

For them and some older Americans, their so-called “golden years” are at times not so pleasant, for this period can mean the decline of not only one’s health but the loss of identity and self-worth. In many societies, this self-identity is closely related with our social status, occupation, material possessions, or independence. Furthermore, we often live in societies that value what is “new” or in fashion, and our own usage of words in the English language is often a sign of bad news for older Americans. I mean how would your family react if you came home tonight exclaiming, “Hey, come to the living room and see the OLD black and white TV I brought!” Unfortunately, the word “old” calls to mind images of the need to replace or discard.

Now, many of the lectures given at this conference have focused on the issues of pension reform, medical care, and the development of public facilities for senior citizens. And while these are vital issues that must be addressed, I’d like to focus my comments on an important issue that will affect the overall success of the other programs mentioned. This has to do with changing our perspectives on what it means to be a part of this group, and finding meaningful roles the elderly can play and should play in our societies.

First of all, I’d like to talk about . . .

16. What does the introduction say about Dr. Howard Miller’s articles and books?

A) They investigate the retirement homes in America.

B) They are on issues facing senior citizens in America.

C) They describe the great pleasures of the golden years.

D) They are filled with fond memories of his grandparents.

17. What is the greatest fear of Dr. Miller’s grandfather?

A) The loss of the ability to take care of himself.

B) The feeling of not being important any more.

C) Being unable to find a good retirement home.

D) Leaving the home he had lived in for 60 years.

18. What does Dr. Miller say the “golden years” can often mean?

A) The loss of identity and self-worth.

B) Fear of being replaced or discarded.

C) Freedom from pressure and worldly cares.

D) The possession of wealth and high respect.

19. What is the focus of Dr. Miller’s speech?

A) The urgency of pension reform.

B) Medical care for senior citizens.

C) Finding meaningful roles for the elderly in society.

D) The development of public facilities for senior citizens.

消除营养不良Now listen to the following recording and answer questions 20 to 22.

The 2010 Global Hunger Index report was released today by the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI). It notes that, in recent years, experts have come to the conclusion that undernourishment between conception and a child’s second birthday can have serious and long-lasting impacts.

Undernourishment during this approximately 1,000-day window can seriously check the growth and development of children and render them more likely to get sick and die than well-fed children. Preventing hunger allows children to develop both physically and mentally.

Says IFPRI’s Marie Ruel, “They will be more likely to perform well in school. They will stay in school longer. And then at adulthood, IFPRI has actually demonstrated that children who were better nourished have higher wages, by a pretty large margin, by 46 percent.”

Ruel says that means the productivity of a nation’s future generations depends in a large part on the first 1,000 days of life.

“This is why we’re all on board in focusing on those thousand days to improve nutrition. After that, the damage is done and is highly irreversible.”

The data on nutrition and childhood development has been slowly coming together for decades. But Ruel says scientific consensus alone will not solve the problem.

“It’s not enough that nutritionists know you have to intervene then, if we don’t have the politicians on board, and also the...people that implement [programs] in the field.”

Ruel says there are encouraging signs that politicians and implementers are beginning to get on board. Many major donors and the United Nations are targeting hunger-relief programs at pregnant women and young children. They focus on improving diets or providing micro-food supplements. They improve access to pre-birth care and encourage exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months of a child’s life.

Ruel says in the 1980s Thailand was able to reduce child undernourishment by recruiting a large number of volunteers to travel the countryside teaching about health and nutrition.

“They really did very active promotion of diversity in the diet and good eating habits. So they were providing more food to people, but also educating people on how to use them, and also educating people on how to feed their young children.”

Ruel says countries may take different approaches to reducing child undernutrition. But she says nations will not make progress fighting hunger and poverty until they begin to focus on those critical first thousand days.

20. What is the experts’ conclusion regarding children’s undernourishment in their earliest days of life?

A) It seriously impacts their physical and mental development.

B) It has become a problem affecting global economic growth.

C) It is a common problem found in underdeveloped countries.

D) It is an issue often overlooked by parents in many countries.

21. What does IFPRI’s Marie Ruel say about well-fed children in their adult life?

A) They will live longer C) They get along well with people.

B) They get better pay D) They develop much higher IQs.

22. What did Thailand do to reduce child undernourishment in the 1980s?

A) Appropriated funds to promote research of nutrient-rich foods.

B) Encouraged breastfeeding for the first six months of a child’s life.

C) Recruited volunteers to teach rural people about health and nutrition.

D) Targeted hunger-relief programs at pregnant women and young children.