2001年英语专八听力原文文本

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　　PART Ⅰ LISTENING COMPREHENSION

　　SECTION A TALK

　　The World Bank is one of the major channels through which development aid is passed from industrial west to the poor and developing nations of the world. Its scale of operations is vast, which is why its lending program exceeds 7 billion a year, and its work force numbers about 4500. In the last decade important changes have taken place in the size of the bank’s operations and in the emphasis of its lending policies. What immediately strikes anyone looking at the lending figures over the last 10 years is the tremendous expansion in the bank’s loan program. This has increased from 1 billion to nearly 7 billion. The figure includes hard loans, which are made at the current rate of interest, and soft loans, which are allocated to poor countries at concessionary rates, and usually channel led through the bank’s affiliate—the International Development Association.

　　In deciding the emphasis of its lending policy, the bank has had to take into account the population explosion which is occuring in many poor countries of the world. It is a fact that the fertility rate of the poor countries is often very high. This is one of the main reasons for these countries remaining poor. Unfortunately, wide-ranging country section programs do not usually reduce this r ate because this was a strong and deeply rooted tradition among people in these countries to have big families. What the bank discovered was that there was a link between economic and social development on the one hand, and reduction of fertility rate on the other. Thus by improving basic health services, by introducing better nutrition, by increasing literacy, and by promoting more even income distribution in a poor country, a lower and more acceptable fertility rate will be achieved. This advanced thinking persuaded the bank to change its overall lending strategy, where previously it concentrated on the big infrastructure project s, such as dams, roads and bridges. It begun to switch to projects which directly improve the basic services of the country. There was a shift, if you like, from building dams to digging water holes to provide clear water.

　　A second reason for the change of approach was that the bank has learned a big lesson from projects financed in the 1960s. Many of its major capital investment had scarcely touched the lives of urban and rural poor, nor have they created much employment. The project did not have the trigger-down effect they have in industrialized countries. Instead the huge dams, steel-mills, and so on were left as monuments to themselves. This redirection of its lending has meant that the bank has tended to support labour intensive activities, rather than capita l intensive ones. Both rural and urban areas, there is a better chance in the first case, that its funds will benefit the bottom 40% of the country’s population. 

　　The bank is also looking for ways of stimulating the growth of the small businesses in many developing countries since this would create employment opportunities for people with lower incomes. Being such a big, obvious target, the bank has often come under fire. For example, its officials have been taken to task for u sing Concord supersonic aircraft so frequently, about 500 times in one year. Also, the large growth of the organization’s personnel has not pleased some critic s . A more substantial criticism has concerned the bank’s policy of setting annual target for lending to specified countries. This could lead to the deterioration in quality of loans, some say. One former bank official has said, rather than encourage growth for its own sake, the bank should begin to think of itself less as a foreign aid agency and more of a financial deal-maker, combining official wit h the private resources for specific purposes.

　　Finally, some people maintain that the impact of the projects funded by the bank has been modest. When one looks around the world at regions or countries that have successfully transformed to industrial status, it seems that one should be aware of over-estimating the bank’s impact. Take Hong Kong for example. Its changes have come about as a result of trade offensive. The purpose has been to flood western market with low price goods made by capitalist methods of production. The example seems to indicate that some regions can prosper without the bank’s aid as well.

　　SECTION B CONVERSATION

　　W: Well, it seems quite common actually. A lot of people in Australia no w are travelling and taking time off. And when I was actually travelling, I met so many people doing the same thing.

　　M: Yeah, yeah, so where did you start off?

　　W: Well, I went to New Zealand first. Eh, and got a job in a computer company as a secretary. And I worked there for 4 months.

　　M: Really? You can do that, can you? I mean it’s possible for anyone to get a j ob in New Zealand, without being a New Zealander?

　　W: No, not everybody, only Australians and New Zealanders can exchange either. You know you can work in either country.’

　　M: Right, yeah.

　　W: So that was easy. So I worked there for 4 months and raised enough money for the rest of travels really. So from there I went to Indonesia, and travelled around the different islands around Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, China , Nepal and India. 

　　M: What about Indonesia? What did you do? Did you fly mostly between the Islands?

　　W: Eh, I did a bit of that, and boats, mainly local boats between the Islands.

　　M: What about Singapore? People said it’s very very modern. But because it is s o modern, it’s rather boring. Did you find that?

　　W: Well, it’s difficult to say really. It has different attractions. You know t h e Chinese, Malay, and Hindu communities are there. Each has his own culture and custom, very different from the others. And it’s a great big shopping center an d I really enjoy it from that point of view. And it was very clean.

　　M: And after, you said you went what, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, and then China? That’s a great country to travel in, isn’t it?

　　W: Eh, it was. Yeah, it was fabulous. It really was. You have been there then?

　　M: No, I haven’t. No, I mean it’s very big. What did you do?

　　W: Yeah. Well, I had only one month to travel in China, and that was too short f or such a vast country as China. I felt I didn’t have enough time, so I sacrifced a lot of places and did the main tourist throughout really. I went to Beijing, the capital, Kaifeng, Yinchuan, and Tibet.

　　M: Well, how exciting! You said after Beijing, you went to?

　　W: That was Kaifeng in central China’s Henan province. It’s a charming city, and has got a lot to look around, like temples and pagodas, very traditional.

　　M: Eh, eh.

　　W: What fascinated me when I was there was that some Jews went to live in Kaifeng many years ago. As early as 16th century, there were Jewish families there. They have their synagogue and five books of Masses. Even today several hundred descendants of the original Jews still live in Kaifeng.

　　M: Really, I’ve never heard of that. And where did you go after Kaifeng?

　　W: I went to northwest to Yinchuan, the provincial city of Ningxia Hui autonomous region.

　　M: Is this the place where there always is a shortage of water?

　　W: No, no, on the contrary, it has got abundant supply of water, because it is n ear the Yellow River. In this sense, Yinchuan has a favorable geographical posit on in otherwise harsh surroundings.

　　M: What did you see there then?

　　W: Ningxia was once the capital of Western Xia during the 11th century. So outside Yinchuan, you can still see the Western Xia mausoleum, where the Kings and t heir Kingdoms were buried. The tombs were scattered in a pretty big area at the foot of the Henan Mountain, and inside the city there are famous mosques in the architectural style of Middle East. It’s really a place worth visiting. You got to know something about Chinese Moslems.

　　M: And that sounds really interesting. Where did you travel after that?

　　W: I was lucky enough to get into Tibet, and that was brilliant.

　　M: Yeah. What was the most interesting place you visited, do you think?

　　W: Well, I think actually Tibet is the most fascinating and exciting. I’ve never been anywhere so different. The people there are wonderful, the clothes .they w ear, the food they eat.

　　M: And you said you went to Nepal as well?

　　W: Yeah, eh, that’s a sort of easier passion of Tibetans really and there are a lot of Tibetans---there as well as other tribes and Nepalese, so that was good because I went trekking in Nepal, you should do that.

　　M: How long did you trek for?

　　W: Oh, I only did a short one, only for a week. I was lazy.

　　M: Was it very tiring?

　　W: No, it wasn’t actually. I mean you just set your own pace, and don’t pace you rself too hard, that was a stupid thing to do. Eh, you don’t have to walk very far, so that was great.

　　M: So how did you feel after all this travelling? How did you feel to stop travelling? I mean you were on the move alone for months and months ,and suddenly you’re here ,and not traveling any more. How does it feel?

　　W: I was ready to stop anyway. You get pretty sick, wearing the same clothes, and washing them in the different hotels. I never stay in the same place for longer than two days. And since I was ready to stop, I don’t think I could keep doing it. I mean I’ve met people who’ve been travelling for 2 or 3 years. I couldn' t do it.

　　M: Yeah, yeah. Maybe it’s something I should try after this.

　　W: I think you really should.

　　SECTION C NEWS BROADCAST

　　News Item 1(For Questions 11-12)

　　Mike Tyson could sign a deal by Friday to face either Germany’s Axo Shos or Denmark’s Brian Nielsen here on August 21 in the heavy weight’s first fight since his release from jail. The former World Heavy Weight champion was released on Monday after 4 months behind bars for an assault in the wake of a traffic accident last August. His deal with Showtime makes an August come back likely. “August 21st is certainly a day we’re looking at,” Showtime board director, James Lock en s said , “Hopefully in the next few days we’ll have something concrete”. Nevada boxing officials revoked Tyson’s license for more than a year after he bit Evander Holyfield’s ear off in June 1997. But they plan no action on Tyson because the license they granted him to fight doesn’t expire until the end of the year. That came before the assault charge had been heard, and with the victim’s support.

　　News Item 2(For Question 13)

　　The United States has begun to review Russians documents about the life and death of former president John F. Kennedy, and is expected to release them once the review is complete, the White House said on Monday. The documents which the Russians gave the United States on Sunday would be of particular interest because Kennedy’s assassin Lee Harvey Oswald lived in the former Soviet Union for several years before he returned to the United States, and was arrested for killing t he former president on November 22, 1963. Russian President Boris Yeltsin surprised US president Bill Clinton on Sunday when he turned over what was described a s the result of exhaustive search of Russian government, military and private archives for papers about Kennedy and his assassination.

　　News Item 3(For Questions 14-15)

　　Hong Kong’s unemployment rate has remained stable at 6.3% in the past 3 months, as business conditions have improved in the last month Figures indicate that from March to May this year, the size of the labor force was provisionally at 3,469,000, while the number of the unemployed people stood at 216,000. The number of cases of insolvency, sensational businesses and retrenchment, and numbers of workers affected these cases as recorded by the Labor Department have shown a declining trend in recent months. From March to May 1999, 78 such cases involving 3,882 workers were recorded as compared 93 cases affecting 5,220 workers for the 3 months from December 1998 to February 1999. Figures for the period from March to May 1999 when compared with those from February to April 1999 show an increase in the unemployment rate, mainly in renovation, maintenance, whole sale, and retail and transport sectors, which offset the decrease in construction, import and export and financing sectors 

　　SECTION D NOTE-TAKING AND GAP-FILLING

　　The Press Conference

　　Press conferences are an all too familiar phenomena around us. However, when people start thinking about its advantages, it sometimes seems difficult to think of any that press conference provides for the competent news reporter. Use of the press conference by public officials and private entrepreneurs help give rise to the phrase “pseudo-event”, and the event contrived to create news cove rage, where none has considered wanted. 

　　However, having said that, one value of news conference by a public official is the symbolic nature of the event. And perhaps this is reasoned enough to continue the practice. At a press conference, a public official supposedly submits to examination by responding to unsolicited and perhaps hostile questions. A related advantage to the reporter is that press conference offers an opportunity to get the public official on the record, with regard to the government policies. Stat ements from the press conference can serve as criteria against subsequent statements and policies are measured. In that regard, press conference information may be used as reference point, more so than comments reported by single news medium. Also, when there is a single issue or topic to address, such as a new government program, an earthquake, or the nomination of a new government minister, the press conference offers benefits of efficiency in that officials can speak to a number of reporters at once on the issue of public concern and interest. The press conference may be at its best in this almost one-way format.

　　Now let’s move on to the disadvantages. And there are serious ones. Generally speaking, the press conference format, as it stands, makes it difficult for t he reporters to get worthwhile information. At press conference, particularly a large one, the well-prepared reporter may never get asked question and certainly is unlikely to have chance to ask follow-up questions. Another disadvantage in the press conference comes from the news source, that is, the news provider. The news source generally decides who asks the questions, determines the length of the answers, and can avoid any follow-up question and rephrase tough questions t o his or her liking, and sets the time, place and duration of the interview. Press conferences televise live for the news audience, sometimes only highlights the disadvantages for the news reporters since there is little or no time to challenge, clarify or place context materials provided by the news source. Despite these disadvantages and others inherent how reporters get information, t he dews reporter can help assure the worthwhile information from a news source in share with the news audience. One way to reduce the likely heard of errors is to use multiple forms of interviewing by telephone, in person, and press conferences as well as multiple sources, common to the success of these approaches, how ever, are such interrelated ingredient as the preparation of the news reporter, the component of the news source and nature of the questions asked.

　　Let’s look at the preparation first. The nature of much news coverage re quires news reporters to be well-read on contemporary events. Like other professionals and craftsmen, the reporter must keep up to date on journalistic subject matter, that is the human condition. Although the subject is broad, it offers the advantages that there is a little a reporter can read or witness. That will not help in covering the news at one time or another. Next, being prepared for an interview includes giving some thought to the competence of the news source. The relationships between news reporters and news sources would benefit the news audience more, if reporters would frequently ask themselves: What is this news resource competent to talk about? What can this person tell the news audience that few others can? Towards the caution regarding the issue of competence, first, the reporter should not take for granted that, because of position or experience, the news source should know, does know, and can provide information. Second, the competence of t he news source needs to be linked with the news-gathering-methods. Let’s just spend a few minutes on the first point. There are generally 4 conditions under which the reporter should not give prints to the news source information. One, the source may not know the information the reporter wants. Two, the source may have the information and want to share it, but may lack the verbal skills or concepts to do so. Three, the source may have the desired information but not to want to share it, or worse, may lie to avoid sharing information. Last, t he source may be willing to share this information but unable to recall it.

　　Now in addition to preparation of the reporter and competence of the news source, there is one more important ingredient in successful news coverage, that is ,the nature of questions asked. It is generally agreed that the nature of the question can shape the nature of the answer. General questions like “Are you for market economy” may lead to the respondent saying virtually anything, and s till being rather vague. On the other hand, a too narrow question may limit the respondent to one particular answer only. In order to gather information from news sources as accurately as possible, reporters can improve the question in the following 5 ways. Firstly, avoid words wit h double meanings. Secondly, avoid long questions. Thirdly, specify the time, pl ace and context you want the respondent to assume, and number 4, it is often helpful to ask questions in terms of the respondent’s own immediate and recent experience rather than in generalities. Finally, either make explicit all the alternative the respondent should have in mind when answering the question or make none of them explicit. Do not leave the news resource by suggesting a desired answer and not mentioning other alternatives.

　　OK, to sum up, today’s lecture has covered some of the advantages and disadvantages of the press conference, and three important factors and successful news coverage. In our next lecture, we will continue to discuss how to become a competent news reporter.

　　2001年英语专业八级考试全真试卷

　　Part Ⅰ Listening Comprehension (40 min)

　　In Sections A, B and C you will hear everything ONCE ONLY. Listen carefully a nd then answer the questions that follow. Mark the correct response to each ques tion on your Coloured Answer Sheet.

　　SECTION A TALK

　　Questions 1 to 5 refer to the talk in this section. At the end of the talk you w ill be given 15 seconds to answer each of the following five questions. Now list en to the talk.

　　1. Changes in the size of the World Bank’ s operations refer to ___.

　　A. the expansion of its loan programme

　　B. the inclusion of its hard loans

　　C. the inclusion of its soft loans 

　　D. the previous lending policies

　　2. What actually made the Bank change its overall lending strategy?

　　A. Reluctance of people in poor countries to have small families.

　　B. Lack of basic health services and inequality in income distribution.

　　C. The discovery that a low fertility rate would lead to economic development.

　　D. Poor nutrition and low literacy in many poor countries of the world.

　　3. The change in emphasis of the Bank’s lending policies meant that the Bank would ___.

　　A. be more involved in big infrastructure projects

　　B. adopt similar investment strategies in poor and rich countries

　　C. embark upon a review of the investment in huge dams and steel mills

　　D.invest in projects that would benefit the low-income sector of society

　　4. Which of the following is NOT a criticism of the bank?

　　A. Colossal travel expenses of its staff. 

　　B. Fixed annual loans to certain countries.

　　C. Limited impact of the Bank’s projects. 

　　D. Role as a financial deal maker.

　　5. Throughout the talk, the speaker is ___ while introducing the Wor ld Bank.

　　A. biased B. unfriendly C. objective D. sensational

　　SECTION B CONVERSATION

　　Questions 6 to 10 are based on a conversation. At the end of the conversation yo u will be given 15 seconds to answer the question. Now listen to the conversatio n.

　　6. The man sounds surprised at the fact that ___.

　　A. many Australians are taking time off to travel

　　B. the woman worked for some time in New Zealand

　　C. the woman raised enough money for travel

　　D. Australians prefer to work in New Zealand

　　7. We learn that the woman liked Singapore mainly because of its ___.

　　A. cleanness B. multi-ethnicity C. modern characteristics D. shopping opportunities

　　8. From the conversation we can infer that Kaifeng and Yinchuan impressed the woman with their ___.

　　A. respective locations B. historic interests  C. ancient tombs D. Jewish descendants

　　9. Which of the following words can best describe the woman’s feelings a bout Tibet?

　　A. Amusement. B. Disbelief. C. Ecstasy. D. Delig ht

　　10. According to the conversation, it was that made the woman ready to stop traveling.

　　A. the unsettledness of travel

　　B. the difficulties of trekking

　　C. the loneliness of travel

　　D. the unfamiliar environment

　　SECTION C NEWS BROADCAST

　　Questions 11 and 12 are based on the following news. At the end of the news item , you will be given 30 seconds to answer the questions. Now listen to the news.

　　11. Mike Tyson was put in prison last August because he ___.

　　A. violated the traffic law

　　B. illegally attacked a boxer

　　C. attacked sb. after a traffic accident

　　D. failed to finish his contract

　　12. The license granted to Tyson to fight will be terminated ___.

　　A. by the end of the year B. in over a year C. in August D. in a few weeks

　　Question 13 is based on the following news. At the end of the news item, you wil l be given 15 seconds to answer the question. Now listen to the news.

　　13. The Russian documents are expected to draw great attention because ___.

　　A. they cover the whole story of the former US president

　　B. the assassin used to live in the former Soviet Union

　　C. they are the only official documents released about Kennedy

　　D. they solved the mystery surrounding Kennedy’s assassination

　　Question 14 and 15 are based on the following news. At the end of the news item,

　　you will be given 30 seconds to answer the questions. New listen to the news.

　　14. In the recent three months, Hong Kong’s unemployment rate has ___.

　　A. increased slowly B. decreased gradually C. stayed steady D. become unpredictable

　　15. According to the news, which of the following statements is TRUE?

　　A. Business conditions have worsened in the past three months.

　　B. The past three months have seen a declining trend in job offers.

　　C. The rise of unemployment rate in some sectors equals the fall in others.

　　D. The unemployment rate in all sectors of the economy remains unchanged.

　　SECTION D NOTE-TAKING AND GAP-FILLING

　　Fill each of gaps with ONE word. You may refer to your notes. Make sure the word you fill in is both grammatically and semantically acceptable.

　　The Press Conference

　　The press conference has certain advantages. The first advantage lies with the

　　(1)___ nature of the event itself; public officials are supposed to 1.___

　　submit to scrutiny by responding to various questions at a press conference.

　　Secondly, statements previously made at a press conference can be used as a

　　(2)___ in judging following statements or policies. Moreover, in case 2.___

　　of important events, press conferences are an effective way to break the news

　　to groups of reporters.

　　However, from the point of view of (3)___, the press conference 3.___

　　possesses some disadvantages, mainly in its(4)___ and news source. 4.___

　　The provider virtually determines the manner in which a press conference

　　proceeds. This, sometimes, puts news reporters at a(n)(5)___ , as can 5.___

　　be seen on live broadcasts of news conferences.

　　Factors in getting valuable information preparation: a need to keep up to date on journalistic subject matter;

　　—(6)___ of the news source: 6.___

　　1 ) news source’ s (7)___ to 7.___

　　provide information;

　　2)news-gathering methods.

　　Conditions under which news reporters cannot trust the information

　　provided by a news source

　　— not knowing the required information;

　　— knowing and willing to share the information, but without

　　(8)___ skills; 8.___

　　— knowing the information, but unwilling to share;

　　— willing to share, but unable to recall.

　　(9)___ of questions asked 9.___

　　Ways of improving the questions:

　　no words with double meanings;

　　no long questions;

　　— specific time, place, etc.;

　　— (10) questions; 10.___

　　— clear alternatives, or no alternatives in answers.

　　改错

　　Part Ⅱ Proofreading and Error Correction (15 min)

　　The following passage contains TEN errors. Each line contains a maximum of ONE error. In each case, only ONE word is involved. You should proofread the passage and correct it in the following way. For a wrong word, underline the wrong word and wri te the correct one in the blank provided at the end of the line. For a missing word, mark the position of the missing word with a “∧” sign and write the word you believe to be missing in the blank provided at the end of the line. For an unnecessary word cross out the unnecessary word with a slash “/’ and put the word in the blank provided at the end of the line.

　　Example

　　When∧art museum wants a new exhibit, (1) an it never/ buys things in finished form and hangs (2) never them on the wall. When a natural history museum wants an exhibition, it must often build it. (3) exhibit

　　During the early years of this century, wheat was seen as the

　　very lifeblood of Western Canada. People on city streets watched

　　the yields and the price of wheat in almost as much feeling as if 1.___

　　they were growers. The marketing of wheat became an increasing 2.___

　　favorite topic of conversation.

　　War set the stage for the most dramatic events in marketing

　　the western crop. For years, farmers mistrusted speculative grain

　　selling as carried on through the Winnipeg Grain Exchange.

　　Wheat prices were generally low in the autumn, so farmers could 3.___

　　not wait for markets to improve. It had happened too often that

　　they sold their wheat soon shortly after harvest when farm debts 4.___

　　were coming due, just to see prices rising and speculators getting rich. 5.___

　　On various occasions, producer groups, asked firmer control, 6.___

　　but the government had no wish to become involving, at 7.___

　　least not until wartime when wheat prices threatened to run

　　wild.

　　Anxious to check inflation and rising life costs, the federal 8.___

　　government appointed a board of grain supervisors to deal with

　　deliveries from the crops of 1917 and 1918. Grain Exchange

　　trading was suspended, and farmers sold at prices fixed by the

　　board. To handle with the crop of 1919, the government 9.___

　　appointed the first Canadian Wheat Board, with total authority to 10.___

　　buy, sell, and set prices.

　　阅读理解 A

　　Part Ⅲ Reading Comprehension (40 min)

　　SECTION A READING COMPREHENSION (30 min)

　　In this section there are four reading passages followed by a total of fifteen multiple-choice questions. Read the passages and then mark answers on your Coloured Answer Sheet.

　　TEXT A

　　“Twenty years ago, Blackpool turned its back on the sea and tried to make i tself into an entertainment centre. ” say Robin Wood, a local official. “Now t he thinking is that we should try, to refocus on the sea and make Blackpool a fami ly destination again.” To say that Blackpool neglected the sea is to put it mil d ly. In 1976 the European Community, as it then was called, instructed member nati ons to make their beaches conform to certain minimum standards of cleanliness wi thin ten years. Britain, rather than complying, took the novel strategy of conte nding that many of its most popular beaches were not swimming beaches at all. Be cause of Britain’s climate the sea-bathing season is short, and most people don ’ t go in above their knees anyway-and hence can’t really be said to be swimming. By averaging out the number of people actually swimming across 365 days of the y ear, the government was able to persuade itself, if no one else, that Britain ha d hardly any real swimming beaches. 

　　As one environmentalist put it to me: “You had the ludicrous situation in w hich Luxembourg had mere listed public bathing beaches than the whole of the Uni ted Kingdom. It was preposterous.”

　　Meanwhile, Blackpool continued to discharge raw sewage straight into the se a. Finally after much pressure from both environmental groups and the European U nion, the local water authority built a new waste-treatment facility for the who le of Blackpool and neighbouring communities. The facility came online in June 1 996. For the first time since the industrial revolution Blackpool’s waters are safe to swim in.

　　That done, the town is now turning its attention to making the sea-front me re visually attractive. The promenade, once a rather elegant place to stroll, ha d become increasingly tatty and neglected. “It was built in Victorian times and needed a thorough overhaul anyway, ”says Wood, “so we decided to make aestheti c improvements at the same time, to try to draw people back to it.” Blackpool rec e ntly spent about .4 million building new kiosks for vendors and improving seat ing around the Central Pier and plans to spend a further $ 15 million on various amenity projects.

　　The most striking thing about Blackpool these days compared with 20 years a go is how empty its beaches are. When the tide is out, Blackpool’s beaches are a vast plain of beckoning sand. They look spacious enough to accommodate comforta bly the entire populace of northern England. Ken Welsby remembers days when, as he puts it,“ you couldn’t lay down a handkerchief on this beach, it was that c rowded.”

　　Welsby comes from Preston, 20 miles down the road, and has been visiting Bl ackpool all his life. Now retired, he had come for the day with his wife, Kitty, and their three young grandchildren who were gravely absorbed in building a san dcastle. “Two hundred thousand people they’d have on this beach sometimes.” W elsby said. “You can’t imagine it now, can you?”

　　Indeed I could not. Though it was a bright sunny day in the middle of summe r. I counted just 13 people scattered along a half mile or so of open sand. Exce pt for those rare times when hot weather and a public holiday coincide, it is li ke this nearly always now.

　　“You can’t imagine how exciting it was to come here for the day when we w er e young.” Kitty said. “Even from Preston, it was a big treat. Now children don ’t want the beach. They want arcade games and rides in helicopters and goodness kn ows what else.” She stared out over the glittery water. “We’ll never see thos e days again. It’s sad really.”

　　“But your grandchildren seem to be enjoying it,” I pointed out.

　　“For the moment, ”Ken said. “For the moment.”

　　Afterward I went for a long walk along the empty beach, then went back to th e town centre and treated myself to a large portion of fish-and-chips wrapped in paper. The way they cook it in Blackpool, it isn’t so much a meal as an invita t ion to a heart attack, but it was delicious. Far out over the sea the sun was se tting with such splendor that I would almost have sworn I could hear the water h iss where it touched.

　　Behind me the lights of Blackpool Tower were just twinkling on, and the str eets were beginning to fill with happy evening throngs. In the purply light of d usk the town looked peaceful and happy — enchanting even — and there was an engaging air of expectancy, of fun about to happen. Somewhat to my surprise, I r ealized that this place was beginning to grow on me.

　　16. At the beginning, the passage seems to suggest that Blackpool ___.

　　A. will continue to remain as an entertainment centre

　　B. complied with EC’s standards of clearliness

　　C. had no swimming beaches all along

　　D. is planning to revive its former attraction

　　17. We can learn from the passage that Blackpool used to ___.

　　A. have as many beaches as Luxumbourg

　　B. have seriously polluted drinking water

　　C. boast some imposing seafront sights

　　D. attract few domestic holiday makers

　　18. What Blackpool’s beaches strike visitors most is their ___.

　　A. emptiness B. cleanliness C. modernity D. monotony

　　TEXT B

　　Pundits who want to sound judicious are fond of warning against generalizin g. Each country is different, they say, and no one story fits all of Asia. This is, of course, silly: all of these economies plunged into economic crisis within a few months of each other, so they must have had something in common.

　　In fact, the logic of catastrophe was pretty much the same in Thailand, Mal aysia, Indonesia and South Korea. (Japan is a very different story. ) In each ca se investors——mainly, but not entirely, foreign banks who had made short-term loans——all tried to pull their money out at the same time. The result was a co mbined banking and currency crisis: a banking crisis because no bank can convert all its assets into cash on short notice; a currency crisis because panicked in vestors were trying not only to convert long-term assets into cash, but to conve rt baht or rupiah into dollars. In the face of the stampede, governments had no good options. If they let their currencies plunge inflation would soar and compa nies that had borrowed in dollars would go bankrupt; if they tried to support th eir currencies by pushing up interest rates, the same firms would probably go bu st from the combination of debt burden and recession. In practice, countries’ s plit the difference—— and paid a heavy price regardless.

　　Was the crisis a punishment for bad economic management? Like most cliches, the catchphrase“ crony capitalism” has prospered because it gets at something r eal: excessively cozy relationships between government and business really did l ead to a lot of bad investments. The still primitive financial structure of Asia n business also made the economies peculiarly vulnerable to a loss of confidence . But the punishment was surely disproportionate to the crime, and many investme nts that look foolish in retrospect seemed sensible at the time.

　　Given that there were no good policy options, was the policy response mainl y on the fight track? There was frantic blame-shifting when everything in Asia s eemed to be going wrong: now there is a race to claim credit when some things ha ve started to go right. The international Monetary Fund points to Korea’s recov e ry—— and more generally to the fact that the sky didn’t fall after all —— a s proof that its policy recommendations were right. Never mind that other IMF cli ents have done far worse, and that the economy of Malaysia —— which refused IM F help, and horrified respectable opinion by imposing capital controls ——also seems to be on the mend. Malaysia’s prime Minister, by contrast, claims full cr e dit for any good news——even though neighbouring economies also seem to have bo ttomed out.

　　The truth is that an observer without any ax to grind would probably concl ude that none of the policies adopted either on or in defiance of the IMF’s adv i ce made much difference either way. Budget policies, interest rate policies, ban king reform —— whatever countries tried, just about all the capital that could flee, did. And when there was no mere money to run, the natural recuperative po wers of the economies finally began to prevail. At best, the money doctors who p urported to offer cures provided a helpful bedside manner; at worst, they were l ike medieval physicians who prescribed bleeding as a remedy for all ills.

　　Will the patients stage a full recovery? It depends on exactly what you me an by “full”. South Korea’s industrial production is already above its pre-cr isi s level; but in the spring of 1997 anyone who had predicted zero growth in Korea n industry over the next two years would have been regarded as a reckless doomsa yer. So if by recovery you mean not just a return to growth, but one that brings the region’s performance back to something like what people used to regard as the Asian norm, they have a long way to go.

　　19. According to the passage, which of the following is NOT the writer’s opinion?

　　A. Countries paid a heavy price for whichever measure taken.

　　B. Countries all found themselves in an economic dilemma.

　　C. Withdrawal of foreign capital resulted in the crisis.

　　D. Most governments chose one of the two options.

　　20. The writer thinks that those Asian countries ___.

　　A. well deserved the punishment

　　B. invested in a senseless way at the time

　　C. were unduly punished in the crisis

　　D. had bad relationships between government and business

　　21. It can be inferred from the passage that IMF policy recommendations ___.

　　A. were far from a panacea in all cases

　　B. were feasible in their recipient countries

　　C. failed to work in their recipient countries

　　D. were rejected unanimously by Asian countries

　　22. At the end of the passage, the writer seems to think that a full reco very of the Asian economy is ___.

　　A. due B. remote C. imaginative D. unpredictable

　　TEXT C

　　Human migration: the term is vague. What people usually think of is the per manent movement of people from one home to another. More broadly, though, migrat ion means all the ways——from the seasonal drift of agricultural workers within a country to the relocation of refugees from one country to another.

　　Migration is big, dangerous, compelling. It is 60 million Europeans leaving home from the 16th to the 20th centuries. It is some 15 million Hindus, Skihs, and Muslims swept up in a tumultuous shuffle of citizens between India and Pakis tan after the partition of the subcontinent in 1947.

　　Migration is the dynamic undertow of population change: everyone’s solutio n , everyone’s conflict. As the century turns, migration, with its inevitable eco n omic and political turmoil, has been called“ one of the greatest challenges of the coming century.” 

　　But it is much more than that. It is, as has always been, the great adventu re of human life. Migration helped create humans, drove us to conquer the planet , shaped our societies, and promises to reshape them again.

　　“You have a history book written in your genes, ”said Spencer Wells. The bo ok he’s trying to read goes back to long before even the first word was written , and it is a story of migration.

　　Wells, a tall, blond geneticist at Stanford University, spent the summer of 1998 exploring remote parts of Transcaucasia and Central Asia with three collea gues in a Land Rover, looking for drops of blood. In the blood, donated by the p eople he met, he will search for the story that genetic markers can tell of the long paths human life has taken across the Earth. Genetic studies are the latest technique in a long effort of modern humans t o find out where they have come from. But however the paths are traced, the basi c story is simple: people have been moving since they were people. If early huma ns hadn’t moved and intermingled as much as they did, they probably would have c ontinued to evolve into different species. From beginnings in Africa, most resea rchers agree, groups of hunter-gatherers spread out, driven to the ends of the E arth.

　　To demographer Kingsley Davis, two things made migration happen. First, hum an beings, with their tools and language, could adapt to different conditions wi thout having to wait for evolution to make them suitable for a new niche. Second , as populations grew, cultures began to differ, and inequalities developed betw een groups. The first factor gave us the keys to the door of any room on the pla net; the other gave us reasons to use them.

　　Over the centuries, as agriculture spread across the planet, people moved t oward places where metal was found and worked and to centres of commerce that th en became cities. Those places were, in turn, invaded and overrun by people later generations called barbarians.

　　In between these storm surges were steadier but similarly profound fides in which people moved out to colonize or were captured and brought in as slaves. F or a while the population of Athens, that city of legendary enlightenment was as much as 35 percent slaves.

　　“What strikes me is how important migration is as a cause and effect in th e great world events. ”Mark Miller, co-author of The Age of Migration and a prof essor of political science at the University of Delaware, told me recently.

　　It is difficult to think of any great events that did not involve migration . Religions spawned pilgrims or settlers; wars drove refugees before them and ma de new land available for the conquerors; political upheavals displaced thousand s or millions; economic innovations drew workers and entrepreneurs like magnets; environmental disasters like famine or disease pushed their bedraggled survivor s anywhere they could replant hope.  “It’s part of our nature, this movement,” Miller said, “It’s just a fact of the human condition.”

　　23. Which of the following statements is INCORRECT?

　　A. Migration exerts a great impact on population change.

　　B. Migration contributes to Mankind’s progress.

　　C. Migration brings about desirable and undesirable effects.

　　D. Migration may not be accompanied by human conflicts.

　　24. According to Kingsley Davis, migration occurs as a result of the foll owing reasons EXCEPF ___.

　　A. human adaptability B. human evolution C. cultural differences D. inter-group inequalities

　　25. Which of the following groups is NOT mentioned as migrants in the pas sage?

　　A. Farmers. B. Workers. C. Settlers. D. Colon izers.

　　26. There seems to be a(n) ___ relationship between great events an d migration.

　　A. loose B. indefinite C. causal D. rem ote

　　TEXT D

　　 How is communication actually achieved? It depends, of course, either on a common language or on known conventions, or at least on the beginnings of these. If the common language and the conventions exist, the contributor, for example, the creative artist, the performer, or the reporter, tries to use them as well as he can. But often, especially with original artists and thinkers, the problem is in one way that of creating a language, or creating a convention, or at leas t of developing the language and conventions to the point where they are capable of bearing his precise meaning. In literature, in music, in the visual arts, in the sciences, in social thinking, in philosophy, this kind of development has o ccurred again and again. It often takes a long time to get through, and for many people it will remain difficult. But we need never think that it is impossible; creative energy is much more powerful than we sometimes suppose. While a man is engaged in this struggle to say new things in new ways, he is usually more than ever concentrated on the actual work, and not on its possible audience. Many ar tists and scientists share this fundamental unconcern about the ways in which th eir work will be received. They may be glad if it is understood and appreciated, hurt if it is not, but while the work is being done there can be no argument. T he thing has to come out as the man himself sees it.

　　In this sense it is true that it is the duty of society to create condition s in which such men can live. For whatever the value of any individual contribut ion, the general body of work is of immense value to everyone. But of course thi ngs are not so formal, in reality. There is not society on the one hand and thes e individuals on the other. In ordinary living, and in his work, the contributor shares in the life of his society, which often affects him both in minor ways a nd in ways sometimes so deep that he is not even aware of them. His ability to m ake his work public depends on the actual communication system: the language its elf, or certain visual or musical or scientific conventions, and the institution s through which the communication will be passed. The effect of these on his act ual work can be almost infinitely variable. For it is not only a communication s ystem outside him; it is also, however original he may be, a communication syste m which is in fact part of himself. Many contributors make active use of this ki nd of internal communication system. It is to themselves, in a way, that they fi rst show their conceptions, play their music, present their arguments. Not only as a way of getting these clear, in the process of almost endless testing that a ctive composition involves. But also, whether consciously or not, as a way of pu tting the experience into a communicable form. If one mind has grasped it, then it may be open to other minds.

　　In this deep sense, the society is in some ways already present in the act of composition. This is always very difficult to understand, but often, when we have the advantage of looking back at a period, we can see, even if we cannot e xplain, how this was so. We can see how much even highly original individuals ha d in common, in their actual work, and in what is called their “structure of fe e ling”, with other individual workers of the time, and with the society of that t ime to which they belonged. The historian is also continually struck by the fact that men of this kind felt isolated at the very time when in reality they were beginning to get through. This can also be noticed in our own time, when some of the most deeply influential men feel isolated and even rejected. The society an d the communication are there, but it is difficult to recognize them, difficult to be sure.

　　27. Creative artists and thinkers achieve communication by ___.

　　A. depending on shared conventions

　　B. fashioning their own conventions

　　C. adjusting their personal feelings

　　D. elaborating a common language

　　28. A common characteristic of artists and scientists involved in creativ e work is that ___.

　　A. they cave about the possible reaction to their work

　　B. public response is one of the primary conceits

　　C. they are keenly aware of public interest in their work

　　D. they are indifferent toward response to their work

　　29. According to the passage, which of the following statements is INCORR ECT?

　　A. Individual contributions combined possess great significance to the publ ic.

　　B. Good contributors don’t neglect the use of internal communication syste m.

　　C. Everyone except those original people comes under the influence of socie ty.

　　D. Knowing how to communicate is universal among human beings.

　　30. It is implied at the end of the passage that highly original individu als feel isolated because they ___.

　　A. fail to acknowledge and use an acceptable form of communication

　　B. actually differ from other individuals in the same period

　　C. have little in common with the society of the time

　　D. refuse to admit parallels between themselves and the society

　　阅读理解 B

　　SECTION B 

　　TEXT E

　　First read the question.

　　31. The purpose of the passage is to ___.

　　A. review some newly-published interior-design books

　　B. explore the potential market for interior-design books

　　C. persuade people to buy some good books

　　D. stress the importance of reading good books

　　Now go through TEXT E quickly to answer question 31.

　　Do your relationships keep failing? When you leave your home in the morning are you already feeling stressed? Is there no time in your life for fun any mor e? Cancel your appointment with the doctor. What you need is a good interior-des ign book. Publishers have created a new genre of books for the home, titles that go beyond paint charts and superficial style and instead show you how your home can be transformed and even heal your life.

　　Dawna Walter is one of the authors leading the way in Britain with her boo k Organized Living that attempts to show how even a tidy sock drawer can improve the quality of your life. Walter is the owner of the Holding Company, a shop on London’s Kings Road which sells hundreds of storage ideas for the home. It has been such a hit that Walter is planning to open four new outlets in the near fu ture. Born in America, Dawna Walter is a fast talker, a self-confessed perfectio nist, and a tidiness fundamentalist. “If it takes 10 minutes for you to find a matching pair of socks in the morning, then you are not in control and your outl ook just isn’t any good. Being organized saves you a couple of hours every week and gives you more time to do the things you enjoy, ”she explains.

　　Her book contains dozens of ideas for streamlining your life. In the kitch en she recommends filing magazine recipes immediately, and organizing them by ty pes-of dishes or particular cooks, and using ice-cube trays to freeze sauces in individual portions. Her ideas seem common sense but nevertheless require you to be at least slightly obsessive. CDs are a case in point: “How often do you wan t to find one particular CD and can’t? Now, how much easier it would be if you p l aced them in alphabetical order? That will only take an hour. Then divide out th e ones you listen to regularly into a separate section. ”

　　Another recent book in the British market was Sarah Shurety’s Chinese-ins p ired Feng Shui For Your Home. Within 14 days of publication every copy had been sold. Shurety’s room-by-room guide to creating a harmonious living space, based on the ancient Chinese tradition Feng Shui, contains rules for how to create the best atmosphere and promote health, wealth and happiness. Dinner party hosts ar e told to place quiet people at the head of the table and facing the door so tha t they will feel more garrulous; those looking for romance learn to place pink f lowers by their beds; and house-buyers are warned to beware of properties built on sloping foundations if they want stability in their lives.

　　The book Creating Space , by Elizabeth Wilhide, claims that readers followin g its advice will not just improve their homes but transform their lives. Wilhid e believes that as we increasingly work from home, we need to reassess the way o ur houses work(especially when there are children in the household) if we want t o avoid being overran by junk and that feeling of “being mentally weighed down. ” Unfortunately, she admits, she finds it difficult to follow her own advice. She sheepishly confesses to having “dumping zones” in her house, a handbag “that do esn’t bear looking into”, and a car “that’s a no-go zone” But she is undau nted by these small failures. In the future, she says she is determined to tidy up he r own life and follow the path to stress-free health , wealth and happiness.

　　TEXT F

　　First read the question.

　　32. The writer of the passage mainly intends to ___.

　　A. criticize Germany’s tax system

　　B. help companies ease their tax burden

　　C. examine the current corporate tax rates

　　D. propose ways to reform the tax system

　　Now go through TEXT F quickly to answer question 32.

　　One major reason for Germany’s high unemployment and the evident weakness o f business investment is the nature of the tax system, which tends to discourage both individual effort and investment. Nominal corporate tax rates are, in fact , very high and it is these rates that potential investors primarily look at. Ho wever, the actual burden borne by companies is not as great as it might seem, be cause the tax base is fairly narrow. This combination in itself tend to encourag e tax avoidance at both the personal and corporate levels. Moreover, by internat ional standards, firms in Germany are still taxed quite heavily.

　　A reform of corporate taxation, therefore, should start by, reducing tax r ates, cutting subsidies and broadening the taxable base. The resulting positive impact on growth would be reinforced if there were also a substantial easing of the net burden.

　　How do the current plans for a reform of corporate taxation measure up to these goals? The overall tax burden on companies is to be brought down significa ntly, with the ceiling of 35 % being set. To this end, a dramatic reduction in t he corporate tax on retained earnings is planned. The related drop in revenues i s to be offset by changes in the rules governing tax breaks.

　　An approach incorporating these basic features would be a welcome step. I f realized in its presents form, it should ensure that the objective of making t ax rates more attractive for businesses is achieved. At the same time, however, it would be unfortunate if an excessive broadening of the taxable base made it i mpossible to attain the equally important goal of providing relief.

　　Comprehensive tax reform is needed in Germany to spur investment and to cre ate new jobs, thus putting the economy on a higher growth path. The drop in reve nues caused by the tax relief granted to both companies and households would, in time, be at least partially offset by the larger volume of tax receipts produce d by economic growth. The gaps that remained should primarily be closed through spending cuts. If measure of this sort proved inadequate, then, as a last resort , an increase in indirect taxes could perhaps be considered.

　　TEXT G

　　First read the question.

　　33. The following passage emphasizes the role of ___ in health conservation.

　　A. advertising B. research C. governments D. taxation

　　Now go through TEXT G quickly to answer question 33.

　　Most of the ill health we suffer could be prevented if people made more effo rt to change their life styles. Instead many people continue to smoke, to drink excessively and to eat unbalanced diets. How can governments help people conserv e their health and avoid premature death?

　　Well, many of the measures which need to be taken are primarily a matter of new legislation and need not be expensive. One of the first preventive health m easures should be an increase in taxes on tobacco to the point at which consumpt ion falls off. The aim should be to raise the same amount of revenue from a decr easing number of people. In the short term such a policy could even raise extra money which should then be spent on subsidizing sport so that advertising tobacc o through sports sponsorship could be banned.

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