2004年英语专八真题听力原文

　　SECTION C ?

　　A new data shows that the global AIDS pandemic will cause a sharp drop in life expectancy indozens of countries, in some cases, declines of three decades. Several nations are losing acentury's progress in extending the length of life. Nations in every part of the world, 51 in all,are suffering declining life expectancies because of an increasing prevalence of HIV infection.The increase is occurring in Asia, Latin America, and the Carribbean, but is greatest in sub?Saharan Africa, a region with only 10% of the world's population but 70% of the world's HIVinfections. Seven African countries have life expectancies of less than 40 years. For example, inBotswana, where 39% of the adult population is infected with HIV, life expectancy is 39 years.But by 2010, it will be less than 27 years. Without AIDS, it would have been 44 years. Lifeexpectancy throughout the Carribbean and some Central American nations will drop into the60's by 2010, when they would otherwise have been in the 70's without AIDS. In Cambodia andBurma, they are predicted to decline to around 60 years old, to what otherwise would havebeen in the mid 60's. Even in countries where the number of new infections is dropping, such asThailand, Uganda, and Senegal, small life expectancy drop is forecast. Back in the early 1990's,we never would have suspected that population growth would have turned negative becauseof AIDS mortality. In less than 10 years, we expect that 5 countries will be experiencingnegative population growth because of AIDS mortality, including South Africa, Mozambique,Lesotho, Botswana and Swaziland.??

　　Questions 14 and 15 are based on the following news. At the end of the news item, you will begiven 30 seconds to answer the questions. Now listen to the news.?

　　The European Union has drafted a list of US products to be hit with import taxes in retaliationfor tariffs the United States has imposed on European steel. EU member governments willreview the list before the EU submits it to the World Trade Organization, which arbitratesinternational trade disputes. EU officials will not say which American products will be hit by theEU sanctions. But diplomats monitoring the most recent trans?Atlantic trade dispute say theyinclude textiles and steel products.?

　　Earlier this month, the Bush administration imposed tariffs of up to 30 percent on some steelimports, including European products.?

　　The EU has appealed to the World Trade Organization to get those duties overturned. But aWTO decision on the matter could take up to a year or more. EU officials say that, under WTOrules, the EU has the right to impose retaliatory measures in June. But they say the UnitedStates can avoid the EU's possible countermeasures if it pays more than two billion dollars incompensation to the EU for imposing the steel tariffs in the first place. The officials sayWashington could also escape retaliation by lowering U.S. import duties on other EU products. ?

　　The Bush administration says it will not pay compensation.??

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