留基委听力考试10年7月原文.doc

留基委听力考试10年7月原文
Section 2, Part A
M: Good morning. Can I help you, Madam?
W: Yes, I’ve just come off the last flight, but I couldn’t find my luggage. It’s not on that baggage conveyer.
M: I see. Please don’t worry; I’ll try to find it as soon as possible. May I have your name, please?
W: My name is Jane McCarthy.
M: Could you spell your name, please?
W: J-A-N-E, Jane, M-C, capital C-A-R-T-H-Y, McCarthy.
M: J-A-N-E, M-C, capital C-A-R-T-H-Y, right?
W: Yes.
M: Thank you. And where did you fly from?
W: From Norfic International.
M: What’s your flight number?
W: American Airlines AA1354.
M: Have you got your baggage claim ticket?
W: Yes. Here you are.
M: Now, would you please describe your luggage to me? What kind of luggage is it?
W: It’s a suitcase, a big suitcase.
M: How big?
W: About 80 centimeters long, I think.
M: Could you give me some details, please?
W Well, it’s a rather nice suitcase I always carry with me when I travel. It’s got one handle, and you can lock it in the front on both sides.
M: What it’s made of?
W: Pardon?
M: Can you remember what material your suitcase is made of? Nylon, leather, or anything else?
W: Leather, genuine leather.
M: What color?
W: Dark blue.
M: Any wheels?
W: Oh, yes. There are 4 wheels.
M: Have you got anything inside it that you can identify them?
W: My clothes and the things you usually take when you travel. Oh, yes, my notebook is in it. It’s got my name in the front.
M: That would help. Would you leave your telephone number so that we can contact you when we find your suitcase?
W: My mobile phone number is 18926458730.
M: 18926458730, that’s all. I’m sorry for your inconvenience, but I’ll do my best.
W: Thank you.
M: You are welcome.
Section 2, Part B

Now listen to the news from BBC World Service. As you listen, write T for the correct statement and F for the incorrect statement. You will listen to the news ONCE only.
You now have 30 SECONDS to read questions 16 to 20.
[pause 30 seconds]
[tone]
BBC World Service. Now the headlines.
A rebel Chechen leader says his group was responsible for the suicide bombings on the Moscow metro on Monday which killed almost 40 people. He says there’ll be more attacks on Russian cities. In a new attack, two suicide bombers in the North Caucasus region of Dagestan have killed at least 12 people including several police.

At least 20 people have been killed in north-eastern Peru after heavy rains sparked a mudslide that engulfed a small village, officials have said.
The mudslide struck the village in the Huanuco region. At least another 25 people are reportedly missing.

The US has announced that it will begin profiling US-bound passengers to determine who should get extra screening.
The screening will take into account characteristics like nationality, age, recently visited countries and partial names.

Victims of abuse by Catholic priests and Jewish groups have condemned the Pope's personal preacher传教士 for comparing criticism of the Pope to anti-Semitism反犹太主义.

President Obama has announced plans to open large areas of the America's offshore waters to oil and gas extraction. He's ending a long-standing ban on drilling along the Atlantic coast in parts of the Gulf of Mexico and off northern Alaska.
British and Canadian scientists say they have identified a potential treatment for sleeping sickness which kills about 50,000 people a year in Africa. The scientists at the University of Dundee in Scotland were funded to research diseases neglected by major pharmaceutical companies.
You now have 30 SECONDS to check your answers.
[pause 30 seconds]

Section 3
You are going to hear an interview on jet lag problems. As you listen, complete the following statements by writing NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS for each answer.
You will listen to this part TWICE.
You now have 60 SECONDS to read questions 21 to 30.
[pause 60 seconds]

[tone]
W: As more and more of us take to the air, and more and more of us travel to faraway places, the problem of jet lag has become part of many people’s experience. Today we invite Doctor Miller, an expert on jet lag problems, to answer our questions. Firstly, what do we know about jet lag, Doctor Mill?
M: Jet lag is the result of your physical and mental faculties literally lagging behind those of people living in the country you’re visiting. When you travel across a number of time zones, your body clock will not keep up the same time as your destination time, as it experiences daylight and darkness contrary to the rhythms to which it has grown accustomed. For example, when you fly east, your body clock will be lagging behind the time，so it is called “jet lag”. On the other hand, when you fly west, you’ll be ahead of the time, so “jet lead” might be more appropriate. Either way, you’re unlikely to be at your best when you land, because your body's natural pattern is upset, as the rhythms that dictate times for eating, sleeping, hormone regulation and body temperature variations no longer correspond to the environment.
W: What do people usually feel when they suffer from jet lag?
M: There are over 50 physiological and psychological rhythms that can be upset by jet lag, and they don’t all get back to normal at the same rate. Tests have shown that jet lag can cause up to 10% decrease in mental accuracy. Irritability is just one effect. The longer your journey is, the shorter your temper, your attention span and your memory. Your may also feel exhausted, sleepy during waking hours, and hungry outside mealtimes.
W: So what can we do about it?
M: There are certainly ways of reducing its unpleasant effects. Firstly, you can try some pre-flight adaptation. If you’re going east, go to bed and get up earlier. If you’re going west, make it later. Also shift your meal times in the appropriate direction. Secondly, once you’re on the plane, take it easy generally. If you can’t sleep, relax. If you have to drink, drink plenty of water or fruit juice. If you want to eat, just ask for it. Thirdly, bear in mind that any problems you may have on a flight will be worsened by the length of the journey. For instance, a slightly uncomfortable seat may be bearable for an hour or two but will become a problem for a long journey
W: Doctor Miller, why have some people got more symptoms of jet lag than others?
M: That’s a big question. The speed at which our body adjusts to the new schedule depends on the individual; some people may require several days to adjust to a new time zone, while others experience little disruption. Generally speaking, crossing one or two time zones does not typically cause jet lag, but it takes about a day per time zone to recover fully for a long journey. For example, traveling from Australia to Great Britain takes you through ten time zones. So it’s best to start with some time off to relax and to try to fit in with the new routine. Don’t rush into any meetings. If you can arrange it, arrive on a Saturday and have the weekend to yourself. By the way, crossing the International Date Line does not contribute to jet lag. For instance, a ten-hour flight from Europe to southern Africa does not cause jet lag, as travel is primarily north-south.
[pause 2 seconds]
Now, you will hear the interview for the second time.

You now have 60 SECONDS to check your answers.
[pause 60 seconds]

Section 4
You are going to hear a lecture on the American agriculture. As you listen, answer the following questions by writing NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS for each answer. You will listen to this part TWICE.
You now have 60 SECONDS to read questions 31 to 40.
[pause 60 seconds]

[tone]
Today we are going to talk about agriculture in the United States. To start, I’d like to say that a striking feature of U.S. agriculture is that a relatively small number of farmers produce an enormous quantity of crops and livestock. Farmers make up only 3% of U.S. workers. At the same time, each farmer produces enough for 80 people. It isn’t surprising that the average farm in the United States is large, about 440 acres in area. For those of you more familiar with the metric system, 440 acres is about 178 hectares. It should be easy to see why the United States is one of the world’s leading exporters of food. There are three basic reasons for this high productivity. The first reason, as we learned in the previous lecture, is that the United States has a temperate climate. There are few places where the climate is too extreme to permit agriculture. The second is that the United States has a great deal of flat, fertile land that doesn’t generally require irrigation. In fact, about 50% of the land is arable and another 20% is suitable for pastureland. The third reason for this high productivity is agricultural technology. We’ll be talking more about agricultural technology in the second part of the lecture. But first, let’s look at the major U.S. farm products and where they are raised. Of course, many of the products are raised in every part of the country, but to make things simpler, I’ll give you the major areas of production. You can refer to your map of the major geographical divisions of the United States as you listen if you aren’t already familiar with these divisions.
The eleven major farm products, of course, include both crops and livestock. The United States’ biggest product and agricultural export is cattle and beef. Cattle is raised in the Midwest and, not surprising, in the western Unite States, where low rainfall makes it more difficult to grow crops. Second, dairy products are produced mostly in the northern part of the country, east of the Rockies. The next three major products are all grains, grown largely in the vast middle part of the country. These grains are corn, soybeans, and wheat. Some corn, soybeans, and wheat are raised as food for cattle and for hogs, or pigs, which are the sixth major agricultural product. Hogs are raised primarily in the Midwest. Another major product, poultry and eggs, is commonly raised in the South. Vegetables and fruit, two other major crops, are raised in many parts of the country. However, California is the number one U.S. producer of vegetables and is a leading producer of many kinds of fruit. The last two crops cannot be eaten like the previous ones but are economically important. These are cotton and tobacco. Both cotton and tobacco are raised mostly in the South; cotton, in addition, is raised in the Southwest and in California. Let’s check to make sure you got all these products down, from number one to number eleven in terms of importance: 1) cattle and beef, 2) dairy products, 3) corn, 4)soybeans, 5) wheat, 6) hogs and pork, 7) poultry and eggs, 8) vegetables, 9) fruit, 10) cotton, and 11) tobacco. These are only the major U.S. farm products. As a large country with a temperate climate, the United States produces almost all of the world’s major crops. Now let’s take a look at how technology affects U.S. agriculture.
I have already mentioned that technology is one cause of the high productivity of U.S. farmers. Technology in U.S. agriculture can be seen in three different areas. First, agriculture is mechanized: that is, planting and harvesting are almost always done by machine. Second, technology has given farmers new hybrid grains and livestock, which are more productive than the traditional grains and livestock. Third, U.S. farmers freely use chemical fertilizers to increase productivity. Chemical fertilizers are the result of modern agricultural technology.
Since U.S. farms are both large and very productive, we would expect U.S. farmers to be very rich people. Strangely, this is not often the case. The very fact that farmers produce a surplus of meat, grains or dairy products often makes the price of these products lower. The government has tried to solve this problem in two ways. It sometimes tried to restrict the amount of land which farmers plant in certain crops. The government also buys surplus production in order to control prices. Unfortunately, these measures are not always successful. The result is that the typical U.S. farmer is an example of the case where “successful” does not necessarily mean “rich”. I see that’s all the time we have for today.
[pause 2 seconds]
Now, you will hear the lecture for the second time.

You now have 60 SECONDS to check your answers.
[pause 60 seconds]

You now have 10 minutes to transfer your answers to the answer sheet.
[pause 10 minutes]
THAT IS THE END OF THE LISTENING TEST.
[15 second light music]

7

20100701 listening keys
1
origin
21
time zones
2
maintained
22
jet lead
3
intellectual
23
natural pattern
4
disciplines
24
accuracy
5
combination
25
exhausted, sleepy, hungry
6
academic
26
adaptation
7
responsive
27
comfortable
8
purpose
28
speed
9
challenges
29
10 days
10
exportable
30
not suffer from
11
Jane McCarthy
31
3%
12
BA1354
32
temperate climate
13
suitcase
33
agricultural technology
14
leather
34
cattle and beef
15
189264587303
35
vegetables
16
F
36
cotton and tobacco
17
T
37
planting and harvesting
18
T
38
chemical fertilizers
19
F
39
buy surplus production
20
F
40
not rich