1
W: Oh, Dick. You are wearing a black jacket but yellow trousers.
It's the strangest combination I've ever seen.
M: I know. I got up late and dressed in a hurry.
I didn't realize my mistake until I entered the office.
Q: What does the woman think of the way Dick dressed?
2
M: Excuse me. But has anyone turned in a brown leather wallet?
I've lost my wallet.
It contains my driver's license and also some family pictures that are pretty important to me.
W: Oh, yes. We had a wallet brought in this morning.
Wait here just a minute, please.
Q: What would the woman probably do?
3
M: Excuse me, Madam. Is the air -conditioning on?
This room is as hot as a furnace.
W: Sorry, sir. A new epidemic called SARS is threatening us right now.
As apreventative measure,
we are told to let in fresh air by opening the windows and not to use the air conditioners.
Q: What does the woman mean?
4
M: You look quite different from what you used to.
W: Sure. I started exercising regularly two years ago
and went from 253 pounds to a healthy 160 pounds
[03:55.40
Q: What do we know about woman?
5
M: I wonder if you find my experience relevant to the job?
W: Yes, certainly.
But if only you had sent in your application letter a week earlier.
Q: What does the woman imply?
6
W: Shouldn't someone go pick up the clothes form the laundry?
They were ready three hours ago.
M: Don't look at me, mom.
Q: What does the boy mean?
7
M: Er..Hi, could you tell me where electronic products are displayed?
I want to see some TVs, digital video cameras, DVD players, that sort of thing.
W: Well. Several countries are displaying electronic products.
China's selection is very large this year.
You might as well go to the east wing first to take a look at a Chinese booth.
Q: Where is the conversation most probably taking place?
8
M: Well, what did you think of the movie?
W: I don't know why I let you talk me into going.
I just don't like violence.
Next time you'd better choose a comedy.
Q: What can we infer from the conversation?
9
W: Who do you think should get the job? How about Mr. Becket?
M: Mr. Becket? I'm not sure. Ile is a nice fellow, of course,
and easy to get along with.But I doubt his professional expertise.
I want someone who can get the job done.
Q: What do we learn from the conversation about Mr. Becket?
10.
M: Do you think home videoplayers will replace movie theatres
and force them out of the entertainment business?
W: We're certainly faced with the grave challenge from the DVD industry.
That's why I think we have to revolutionize our concept of movie showing.
As I see it,the movie theatre should not just be a place to watch a film,
but a place to meet people.
Q: What does the woman think of the movie theatre?
Passage 1
Few people can stand for the spirit of earlier America as much as Benjamin Franklin.
He lived through almost the whole of the 18th century.
He was born six years after the century began,
and died ten years before it ended.
During this time,
he saw the American colonies grow from tiny settlements into a nation
and he also contribuled much to the new state.
He was deeply interested in science and nalural history
and his experiments with electricity and lightning
led directly to the invention of the lightning rod.
He was also interested in improving the conditions of his fellow men.
He was involvcd in a numbcr of projccts in his native Philadelphia,
including thesetting up of a library, and a university,
a philosophical society and fire-prevention service.
He worked hard to enable the American colonies to gain independence from Britain.
As ambassador to France, he encouraged the French to help George Washington.
After the war, he attended the American Constitutional Congress.
This was his last contribution, for he died late that year.
He is still fondly remembered by Americans as one of the creators of the United States.
Questions 11 to 13 are based on the passage you have just heard.
11. What did the speaker say about Benjamin Franklin?
12. How did Franklin help George Washington?
13. According to the passage, what is Franklin still well remembered as?
Passage 2
Yuppies are young people who earn a lot of money
and live in a style that is too expensive for most people.
If you're invited to a yuppie dinner party,
don't besurprised if you're offered freshly-cooked insects as a first course.
While the idea ofeating fried insects fills most of us with horror,
insect-eating is becoming highly fashionable.
For example, in the media industry,
successful executives are often seen to eat fried or boiled insects from time to time
while working at their desks.
These safe-to-eat insects can be found and ordered on the Internet.
And young people arelogging on to exotic food websites
and ordering samples of prepared insects to serveat their dinner parties.
Although the idea of eating insects is probably disgusting to most of us,
few people would claim that pigs, chickens, and some kind of seafood
we often eat are examples of great beauty.
One day, insects could be marketed and sold asfood item in supermarket.
According to their fans,
they are not only high in proteinand low in fat, but also very tasty.
But until our attitudes to food change fundamentally,
it seems that insect-eaters will remain a select few.
Questions 14 to 17 are based on the passage you have just heard.
14. Why did the speaker say we might be surprised at the yuppie dinner party?
15. Where can the people order the unusual food mentioned by the speaker?
16. Why are some yuppies attracted by the unusual food?
17. What does the speaker say about the future of this type of unusual food?
Passage 3
Many people dislike walking lo the bank,standing in long lines and running out of checks.
They are dissatisfied with that bank's limited hours, too.
They want to do some banking at nights and on weekends.
For such people, their problems may soon be over.
Before long,they may b3 able to do their banking from the comfort of their own home,
any hour of the day, any day of the week.
Many banks are preparing online branches or Internet offices,
which means that people will be able to take care of much of their banking business
through their home computers.
This process is called "interactive banking".
At these online branches, customers will be able to view all their accounts,
move money between their accounts,
apply for a loan and getcurrent informnation on product such as credit cards.
Cuslomers will also be able to pay their bills electrically
and even email questions to their bank.
Banks are creating online services for several reasons.
One reason is that banks must compete for customers
who will switch to another bank if they are dissatisficd with the service they receive.
The convenience of online banking appeals to the kind of customerbanks most want to keep.
That is, people who are young, well-educated and have good incomes.
Banks also want to take advantage of modern technology since they have moved to 21st century.
Questions 18 to 20 are based on the passage you have just heard.
18. What is one of the reasons for people's dissatisfaction with traditional banks?
19. What kind of customers does online banking most appeal to?
20. Why do banks create online services according to the passage?