Part I DICTATION (15MIN)
Freshmen's Week
Britain has a well-respected higher education system and some of the top universities and research institutions in the world. But to those who are new to this system, it can sometimes be confusing.
October is usually the busiest month in the academic calendar. Universities have something called Freshmen's Week for their newcomers. It's a great opportunity to make new friends, join lots of clubs and settle into university life.
However, having just left the comfort of home and all your friends behind, the prospect of meeting strangers in classrooms and dormitories can be worrying.Where do you start? And who should you make friends with? Which clubs and society should you join?
Luckily, there will be thousands of others in the same boat as you. They worry about starting their university social life on the right foot. So just take it all in slowly. Don't rush into anything that you'll regret for the next three years.
PART Ⅱ LISTENING COMPREHE (20 MIN)
SECTION A CONVERSATIONS
Questions 1 to 3 are based on the following conversation.
W: OK. So let’s go through the travel details again. Two adults, eight days in Britain from April 26th to May 3rd (Q1), flying from Beijing to London, and back with Air China, and you’re in a double room.
M: Yes, that’s right. Umm, do you know what the flight times are?
W: The outward flight from Beijing is, ur … let me see, yes, 10:30 in the morning, and the return is, I think it’s early evening, yes, 7:15, 15 minutes past seven in the evening, local time, that is (Q1).
M: Right, that’s fine. Oh, sorry. I can’t remember what else you include in the price, apart from the air-tickets. Is it all meals or just breakfast?
W:Yes, it’s full board, so all meals, and transport from the airport to your hotel. Everything is included (Q2).
M: Good!
W: Now, can you tell me if you need travel insurance?
M: Yes, yes, we do.
W: OK. Well, that’s an extra 300 Yuan each, is that OK?
M: Well, there is no choice, is there? I mean we have to have it, don’t we? (Q3)
W: Yes, I’m afraid so.
M: Well, all right then.
Questions 4 to 7 are based on the following conversation.
M: Pan-Pacific Tours. How can I help you?
W: Good afternoon! Can I speak to Mark, please?
M: Speaking.
W: Oh, hello, Mark! This is Linda from Johnson & Sons Events.
M: Hello, Lindia! What can I do for you?
W: I was just wanting to clear up a few details of the conference event we’re organizing.
M: Right! What do you need to know?
W: Well, first, I’ve got to have numbers, delegates to the conference, their husbands or wives and so on for the transport as much as anything else.
M: So far we’ve got 183 who’ve booked up and we might get a few more.
W: Does that include husbands and wives as well?
M: No really. I’ll e-mail you the exact number, because I haven’t counted them yet (Q4).
W: Fine.
M: And there’ll be 6 guest speakers.
W: 6?
M: Yes. Who want picking up from the airport by car, not in a fleet of buses?
W: Right! You’ll let me know when they are arriving, won’t you (Q5)?
M: Just as soon as I know.
W: Now, special events. You wanted a local style dance for the opening ceremony, didn’t you (Q6)?
M: That would be great! I’m sure everyone will enjoy it.
W: And we’ll have to fly the dancers in specially.
M: Sure!
W: And then after the welcoming feast, there’s going to be a piano performance, right (Q6)?
M: Yes, so we’ll have to contact the airline company about it. They are sponsoring the event (Q7).
W: So we’ll send the bill direct to them for it.
M: You could do.
W: Well, that’s all my queries for the time being.
M: OK. If you need anything else, just pick up the phone or drop me an email.
W: I will. Thanks. Bye!
M: Bye!
Questions 8 to 10 are based on the following conversation.
W: Sorry, I’m late, James.
M: It’s all right, Mary. Where have you been?
W: At the police station.
M: Where?
W: At the police station. I’ve lost my briefcase.
M: Oh, no! What happened? Was there anything important in it?
W: Yes! My cheque book, all the papers I need for work, my appointment book (Q8).
M: Ah! That’s terrible! How did you lose your briefcase?
W: Well, as you know, I was with my client at a meeting all morning (Q9) and we had lunch together, after lunch I went shopping, and when I wanted to buy something I couldn’t find my cheque book, then I remembered that was in my briefcase and my briefcase was in my car.
M: So you went back to your car?
W: Yes, I went back to my car. No briefcase! But luckily my laptop was there (Q8).
M: And then you went to the police?
W: Not immediately. Before I went to the police station, I called my client’s office. No luck. They said the briefcase wasn’t there.
M: Excuse me! I’ve got a phone call. Yes, yes, there is. Mary Hopkins. Oh, really? I’ll tell her. It was very kind of you to call. Bye!
W: Who was that?
M: That was the manager of the River Sun Restaurant. Just after lunch today, he found a briefcase under a table, when he opened the case, he found a lot of papers. He said they had the name or our company on them, and he found a cheque book with the name of Hopkins on it --- M. Hopkins --- M for Mary (Q10).
W: Ah! Thank god!
SECTION B PASSAGES
Questions 11 to 13 are based on the following passage.
Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri is a medium-sized university. It has 11,000 students, 12% of them are international students, mostly graduate students. The university has schools for law, medicine and social work. It also has a Business School, a School of Design and Visual Arts and a School of Engineering and Applied Science. But more than 60% of courses are taught through the Arts and Sciences Program (Q11). The new scholl year that begins this fall will cost about $ 50,000 for undergraduates, that includes 12 months of living expenses estimated at $20,000 (Q12). Graduate tuition differs by program. Tuition for the Master of Social Work Program, for example, will cost $27,000 in the coming year. The Master of Business Administration Program will cost about $38,000. The university offers financial assistance to international students including first year students, but says its resources are limited. Scholarships are available. The university also offers a monthly payment plan to spread out the cost of tuition. It offers loan programs. International students in the United States generally cannot receive federal student loans (Q13), but they maybe able to take out private loans as many American students do. Washington University in St. Louis was named Eliot Seminary when it opened in 1853. Later the name was changed to honor the first American president --- George Washington.
Questions 14 to 17 are based on the following passage.
A new study from the University of New South Wales has discovered that during the working week, Australian fathers only spend an average of just over a minute each day alone with their children. Australian mothers, on the other hand, spend 3 hours a week purely looking after their children (Q14). On much greater disparity than in other countries, like America, Denmark, Italy and France, working couples divide the child-care more evenly. According to the author of the study, traditionally, Australian fathers appear to like the fun aspects of parenhood, but stay away from daily child-care activities. So while they tend to be happy taking the kids to the park or to sports event, they are unlikely to participate regularly in feeding, bathing, or taking the kids to school (Q15). In short, Australian parenting is seen as a woman’s job and a man’s hobby. However, the last 20 years have seen the arrival of the so-called “new man” --- the man who is willing to share the housework and child-care. The “new man” has a picture of his children on his computer desktop at work; he never misses the kids’ school plays and he passes on a drink after work so that he can get home in time to read their bedtime story (Q16). This new study suggests that the new man feels a little more at home in Europe than in Australia (Q17). Indeed, a poll conducted in the UK indicated that almost 70% of British women thought that men were as good at raising children as women.
Questions 18 to 20 are based on the following passage.
UNICEF is joinning with a nonprofit group to bring AIDS prevention programs to more women and children in five countries (Q19A). UNICEF, United Nations Children’s Fund, will work with Family Health International. The new partnership will be established at first in Guyana, India, Malawi, Nigeria and Zambia. One of the goals is to improve care for babies infected with H.I.V., the virus that causes AIDS. Another is to prevent the spread of H.I.V. from mother to child. Activities will depend on the needs of each country. In some cases, anti-AIDS drugs will be provided to infected parents of children. Women and children living in rurual communities will receive most of the services (Q18). Both UNICEF and Family Health International will expand their partnership into more countries in the future. Family Health International has been working on public health issues since 1971 (Q19B). The organization is based in North Carolina and has programs in 70 countries (Q19D). It does research on infectious diseases and reproductive health, and also provides services (Q19C). Experts say an important part of fighting AIDS is political will (Q20). One example they point to is Cambodia. That country has been getting attention for its progress in reducing some of the highest infection rates in Asia. Experts praise the government for supporting public education efforts and programs.