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Part A
Directions: In this part of the test, you will hear 2 passages in English. After you have heard each paragraph, interpret it into Chinese. Start inter preting at the signal……and stop it at the signal……You may take notes while you are listening. Remember you will hear the passages ONLY ONCE. Now let’s begin Part A with the first passage.
Passage 1:
London, the capital of the United Kingdom, has a population of about 7 million and an area of 1580 sq km. Although it no longer ranks among the world’s most populous cities, London is still one of the world’s great centers for classical and popular culture. For example, it has enjoyed a reputation for superb theater since the time of Shakespeare in the 16th century.
London boasts many world-famous tourist attractions. The most impressive sight-seeing places include the Big Ben, the Oxford Street, and of course the Buckingham Palace, where thousands of tourists come to watch the pageantry, the Changing of Guards. London itself is a living museum, with more than 2000 years of history and culture. The jewel in this cultural crown is the British Museum, with more than 4 million exhibits.
Passage 2:
I am an optimist. As will be clear from what I have written, I think knowledge is a blessing, not a curse. This is especially true in the case of genetic knowledge. For example, with genetic knowledge, we’ll be able to understand the molecular nature of cancer for the first time, to diagnose and prevent Alzheimer’s and to discover the secrets of human history-all these seem to me to be immense blessings.
It is true that genetics also brings the threat of new dangers, such as unequal insurance premiums for people of different genetic factors, new forms of biological warfare, and unexpected side effects of genetic engineering, but most of these dangers are either easily dealt with or extremely far-fetched. So I cannot agree to th4e fashionable pessimism about science, nor can I accept the idea of a world that turns its back on science.
