Conversation Two
W: Hey, Tom! I heard that you are auditing at the history class. How do you like it?
M: Pretty good! Prof. Lincoln talked a lot about Africa yesterday. [23]Do you know which African country has the strongest economy?
W: [23]I would guess South Africa. It's probably got the most modern infrastructure of all the African countries.
M: [23]Exactly! And Prof. Lincoln said that it is one of the most stable democracies in that part of the world.
W: Sounds interesting. What else did Prof. Lincoln say?
M: As developed as it is now, that's not to say that there haven't been problems. I bet you can guess what I'm referring to.
W: Apartheid?
M: Yes, under apartheid, the government maintained a policy of separating the white minority and the black majority. [24]Early on, black people were barred from being members of parliament. It was a whites-only government.
W: Does everyone speak English in South Africa?
M: No, not necessarily. Most people do, but there are actually eleven official languages. English is one. The most commonly spoken language that's native to the area would be Zulu.
W: And... and how about the population there?
M: Interestingly, South Africa has the largest population of people of European descent in Africa, and the largest Indian population outside of Asia. Not only that, [25]it also has the largest mixed race community in Africa.
W: Oh, you really know a lot about that country now! I guess I want to audit at the history class next semester.
M: I bet you won't regret it.
Questions 23 to 25 are based on the conversation you have just heard.
23. According to the conversation, what is the situation about South Africa?
正确答案:A
解析:男士问女士哪个非洲国家的经济最强,女士说是南非,故选A。C项为强干扰项,男士引用教授的话说南非是民主最稳定的非洲国家之一,但并不是唯一的一个民主最稳定的国家。
24. What does the man say about the black people under apartheid?
正确答案:D
解析:男士提到种族隔离的情况时说,在早期,禁止黑人成为国会议员,故选D。
25. What can we learn about South Africa from the conversation?
正确答案:D
解析:男士说南非有着非洲最大的混合族群社区,故选D。