Part I Writing (30 minutes)

(请于正式开考后半小时内完成该部分，之后将进行听力考试)

Directions: For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to write an essay about the impact of the information explosion by referring to the saying “A wealth of information creates a poverty of attention.” You can give examples to illustrate your point and then explain what you can do to avoid being distracted by irrelevant information. You should write at least 150 words but no more than 200 words.

Part II Listening Comprehension (30 minutes)

Section A

Directions: In this section, you will hear 8 short conversations and 2 long conversations. At the end of each conversation, one or more questions will be asked about what was said. Both the conversation and the questions will be spoken only once. After each question there will be a pause. During the pause, you must read the four choices marked A), B), C) and D), and decide which is the best answer. Then mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 1 with a single line through the centre.

1. A) Labor problems.

B) Weather conditions.

C) An error in the order.

D) Misplacing of goods.

2. A) What the woman says makes a lot of sense.

B) The rich are opposed to social welfare.

C) He is sympathetic with poor people.

D) He agrees with Mr. Johnson’s views.

3. A) He will be practicing soccer.

B) He has work to finish in time.

C) He will be attending a meeting.

D) He has a tough problem to solve.

4. A) Mary should get rid of her pet as soon as possible.

B) Mary will not be able to keep a dog in the building.

C)Mary is not happy with the ban on pet animals.

D)Mary might as well send her dog to her relative.

5.A) The twins’ voices are quite different.

B) Lisa and Gale are not very much alike.

C) He does not believe they are twin sisters.

D) The woman seems a bit hard of hearing.

6.A) The serious economic crisis in Britain.

B) A package deal to be signed in November.

C) A message from their business associates.

D) Their ability to deal with financial problems.

7.A) It is impossible to remove the stain completely.

B) The man will be charged extra for the service.

C) The man has to go to the main cleaning facility.

D) Cleaning the pants will take longer than usual.

8.A) European markets.

B) A protest rally.

C) Luxury goods.

D) Imported products.

Questions 9 to 12 are based on the conversation you have just heard.

9.A) He made a business trip.

B) He had a quarrel with Marsha.

C) He talked to her on the phone.

D) He resolved a budget problem.

10.A) She may have to be fired for poor performance.

B) She has developed some serious mental problem.

C) She is in charge of the firm’s budget planning.

D) She supervises a number of important projects.

11.A) She failed to arrive at the airport on time.

B) David promised to go on the trip in her place.

C) Something unexpected happened at her home.

D) She was not feeling herself on that day.

12.A) He frequently gets things mixed up.

B) He is always finding fault with Marsha.

C) He has been trying hard to cover for Marsha.

D) He often fails to follow through on his projects.

Questions 13 to 15 are based on the conversation you have just heard.

13.A) They are better sheltered from all the outside temptations.

B) They are usually more motivated to compete with their peers.

C) They have more opportunities to develop their leadership skills.

D) They make an active part in more extracurricular activities.

14.A) Its chief positions are held by women.

B) Its teaching staff consists of women only.

C) Its students aim at managerial posts.

D) Its students are role models of women.

15.A) It is under adequate control.

B) It is traditional but colourful.

C) They are more or less isolated from the outside world.

D) They have ample opportunities to meet the opposite sex.

Section B

Directions: In this section, you will hear 3 short passages. At the end of each passage, you will hear some questions. Both the passage and the questions will be spoken only once. After you hear a question, you must choose the best answer from the four choices marked A), B), C) and D). Then mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 1with a single line through the centre.

Passage One

Questions 16 to 19 are based on the passage you have just heard.

16.A) By invading the personal space of listeners.

B) By making gestures at strategic points.

C) By speaking in a deep, loud voice.

D) By speaking with the local accent.

17.A) To promote sportsmanship among business owners.

B) To encourage people to support local sports groups.

C) To raise money for a forthcoming local sports event.

D) To show his family’s contribution to the community.

18.A) They are known to be the style of the sports world.

B) They would certainly appeal to his audience.

C) They represent the latest fashion in the business circles.

D) They are believed to communicate power and influence.

19.A) To cover up his own nervousness.

B) To create a warm personal atmosphere.

C) To enhance the effect of background music.

D) To allow the audience to better enjoy his slides.

Passage Two

Questions 20 to 22 are based on the passage you have just heard.

20.A) She was the first educated slave of John Whitley’s.

B) She was the greatest female poet in Colonial America.

C) She was born about the time of the War of Independence.

D) She was the first African-American slave to publish a book.

21.A) Revise in a number of times.

B) Obtain consent from her owner.

C) Go through a scholarly examination.

D) Turn to the colonial governor for help.

22.A) Literary works calling for the abolition of slavery.

B) Religious scripts popular among slaves in America.

C) A rich stock of manuscripts left by historical figures.

D) Lots of lost works written by African-American women.

Passage Three

Questions 23 to 25 are based on the passage you have just heard.

23.A) It is a trait of generouscharacter.

B) It is a reflection of self-esteem.

C) It is an indicator of high intelligence.

D) It is a sign of happiness and confidence.

24.A) It was self-defeating.

B) It was aggressive.

C) It was the essence of comedy.

D) It was something admirable.

25.A) It is a double-edged sword.

B) It is a feature of a given culture.

C) It is a unique gift of human beings.

D) It is a result of both nature and nurture.

Section C

Directions: In this section, you will hear a passage three times. When the passage is read for the first time, you should listen carefully for its general idea. When the passage is read for the second time, you are required to fill in the blanks with the exact words you have just heard. Finally, when the passage is read for the third time, you should check what you have written.

It is important that we be mindful of the earth, the planet out of which we are born and by which we are nourished, guided, healed—the planet, however, which we have (26)_______to a considerable degree in these past two centuries of (27)_______ exploitation. This exploitation has reached such (28)_______ that presently it appears that some hundreds of thousands of species will be (29)_______ before the end of the century.

In our times, human shrewdness has mastered the deep (30)_______ of the earth at a level far beyond the capacities of earlier peoples. We can break the mountains apart; we can drain the rivers and flood the valleys. We can turn the most luxuriant forests into throwaway paper products. We can (31)_______ the great grass cover of the western plains and pour (32)_______ chemicals into the soil until the soil is dead and blows away in the wind. We can pollute the air with acids, the rivers with sewage(污水), the seas with oil. We can invent computers (33)_______ processing ten million calculations per second. And why?To increase the volume and the speed with which we move natural resources through the consumer economy to the junk pile or the waste heap. Our managerial skills are measured by the competence (34)_______ in accelerating this process. If in these activities the physical features of the planet are damaged, if the environment is made inhospitable for (35)_______ living species, then so be it. We are, supposedly, creating a technological wonderworld.