★ Part I DICTATION

Choosing a Career

When students graduate from college, many of them do not know how they want to spend their working lives, and they sometimes move from job to job until they find something that suites them, and of equal importance to which they are suited. Others never find a job in which they are really happy. They remain all their lives, square pegs in round holes. When we choose our careers, we need to ask ourselves two questions. First, what do we think we would like to be? Second, what kind of people are we? The idea, for example, of being a painter or a musician may seem very attractive; but unless we have great talent and are willing to work very hard, we are certain to fail in these occupations and failure will lead to unhappiness in life. So, it is important to assess our suitability for a certain career in job search.

★ Part II LISTENING COMPREHENSION

◆Section A CONVERSATIONS

Conversation 1

M: Is that Anne Shore?

W: Yes, speaking.

M: Hello, it’s Eric from London.

W: Hello Eric, how can I help you?

M: I’m fixing up our next project team meeting and I just wanted to check some possible dates with you.

W: Fine, let me just get my diary. Okay, which dates are you looking at?

M: I’ve spoken to the others and (1) they prefer either the third week of May or the second week of June.

W: (1) Yes, both those weeks are pretty clear at the moment, except for the eleventh of June.

M: Right, I’ve got that.

W: So, where’s the meeting taking place this time7

M: It was going to be in London, (2) but I spoke to Carlos in Mexico City and he suggested Chicago. He thinks it’ll be more convenient for most of the team.

W: (2) He’s probably right. It would certainly be much easier for me as well because I can fly from Toronto. And I’m sure you could find a meeting room somewhere near the airport.

M: That’s a good idea. I’ll check out some hotels in that area and get back to you towards the end of the week.

W: Fine, but I’m not in the office on Friday.

M: (3) Okay, I’ll call you later in the afternoon on Thursday.

W: No problem, bye!

Conversation 2

M: We’re having a debate on advertising Thursday evening, and I have to take part.

W: That’s interesting; I should like to hear what people think about advertising.

M: What is there to say? We must have advertising, mustn’t we?

W: Why?

M: Well, we wouldn’t know what there was to buy if we didn’t have advertisements.

W: Yes, that’s tree, up to a point. Advertisements provide information that we need. If someone has produced a new article, naturally the seller wants to tell us about it.

M: Yes, and the advertisements tell us which product is the best.

W: Do they? I don’t think so. (4) Every manufacturer says that his product is the best, or at least tries to give the impression. Only one can be the best, so the others are misleading, aren’t they?

M: Well, in a way, I suppose, but we don’t have to believe them, do we?

W: Are you saying that advertisements aren’t effective? I don’t think that intelligent businessmen would spend millions of dollars on advertising if nobody believed the advertisements, do you?

M: Perhaps not, but after all, it’s their money that they’re spending.

W: Is it? I think not. (5) The cost of advertising is added to the price of the article. You and I and all the other people who buy the article pay for the advertising.

M: Well, I suppose we get something for our money ... some information.

W: Yes, but don’t forget it’s often misleading information, and sometimes harmful.

M: Harmful?

W: What about advertisements designed to persuade young people to smoke cigarettes, wouldn’t you say they’re harmful?

M: (6) You’ve given me a lot to think about. I’m quite looking forward to the debate now.

Conversation 3

W: So Mr. Brown, this is your bed, and as you can see there are three other beds in the ward. Have you got everything you need7

M: Yes nurse, I think so. I followed the hospital’s advice and I’ve only brought a few belongings with me.

W: (7) Good, you can see the reasons why we ask you to do that. The cupboard is really very small.

M: Yes. (10) Nurse, can you tell me what the visiting hours are?

W: Yes of course, (8) they’re in the afternoon from 2:30 to 4:30 and in the evening from 7:00 to 8:00. But remember that only two people can see you at the same time.

M: I see. (10) What other rules are there?

W: Yes, we start pretty early. (9) We wake you at 6:00 and breakfast is at 8:00, lunch is at noon, there’s tea at 3:30 and supper is at 6:00.

M: Oh, that’s very different from what I’ve been used to. You’d better tell me the rest of the rules here.

W: Yes, well you can see the no smoking sign. (9) We don’t allow smoking in the wards and the same goes for alcohol. However, if you do need to smoke, there are special lounges.

M: Oh, I don’t smoke so it doesn’t affect me.

W: Good.

◆Section B PASSAGES

Passage 1

In my opinion, the most important thing when choosing a hotel for an international conference is the meeting room or rooms. For example, (11) you may need a large room where everyone can be together for keynote speeches or presentations and smaller meeting rooms for informal group discussions. Then, if people are coming from different countries you need to find out about rooms for them to stay in. (13) These should be spacious and comfortable and have facilities for using email and laptops, as people have to keep in touch with their offices or headquarters even when they’re away. (12、13) My next point is facilities for hotel guests. Things like a bar, a good quality restaurant, preferably local food, and fitness and sports centers. These are important because delegates need to be able to relax after a long day of meetings and get to know each other in informal situations. Finally, for an international conference where delegates are coming from different countries (13) it can be very useful to choose a hotel that has good transport connections with the nearest airport and/or places of interest. This can save everybody a lot of time.

Passage 2

(17) Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. It is with great pleasure that I welcome you to the new museum of industrial and rural life. (14) The museum provides us with the unique historical record of industrial and agricultural life in the area. Here you’ll rind a wonderful collection of industrial and agricultural exhibits. Some of them date back 200 years, which reflect the history of our area over the last two centuries. Until recently, the area was mainly agricultural and the rural industries and traditions were all associated with agriculture. The museum’s collections bring this heritage back to life with the fascinating blend of working and static displays. From early times, good communications with the rest of the country have led to industrial prosperity-for the area.

(15) One example of such communications was the Roman road, Portsmouth Street, which passed nearby. Later, canals came to bring new prosperity, and then the railways.

Good transport systems encouraged local industries, especially those related to agriculture, and the museum has collections of national significance for many of these.

Local people too, have changed history, and the museum will introduce you to these and other local celebrities. (16) The displays, with all items collected locally, show what local life used to be like. Many displays of local items are in context, and show, for example, printers and cobblers workshops. (17)Whatever you interest, we hope the museum will have something for you.

Passage 3

Good afternoon, everybody. Thank you very much for inviting me here to talk about safety in dormitory and personal security. First, a few points to bear in mind. You’ll notice the doors of your dorm have two types of locks; a Yale lock and a Chab lock. (18) Make sure you double lock your door, not just one lock, both of them, however long you’re going out for. (18) Make sure when you go out all the windows are closed.

Those of you in the ground and first floor rooms will notice that you have locking windows. (18) Make sure you use them. Lock them every time you go out. Lock them at night, if you’ve got expensive equipment in your room, first of all, insure it. So many people lose things and haven’t got insurance. Make sure you insure it. This brings me on to personal security. (19) Wherever possible, avoid walking alone late at night, especially girl students. Avoid dark streets and try to stick to the well-lit streets whenever possible.

Also, (18) if you know you are going to be out late, make sure you’ve got enough money for a taxi to get home again, or arrange to stay with friends for the night. It may sound absurd, (20) but don’t forget, the university actually offers free self-defense classes. I hope it’s something you’d never have to use, but, urn, it’s certainly worth going along to a few self-defense sessions.

◆Section C NEWS BROADCAST

News Item One (Questions 21 and 22)

(21) The New Year celebration in Thailand was shattered by violence when nine bombs exploded across Bangkok around midnight. Three Thai citizens were killed and more than thirty injured. No terrorist group claimed responsibility for the bombings by Tuesday. Some believe the explosions were the work of Muslim separatists. Bombings and shootings occur almost daily in Thailand’s three Southern-most provinces. (22) Yala, Narathiwat and Pattani have a dominant Muslim population and have long complained of neglect and discrimination in the largely Buddhist nation. They have asked for independence and a separate Islamic State. Since 2004, the insurgents have carried out numerous attacks in the south and more than 1,900 people have been killed. The Thai government has been unable to curb the violence, though thousands of troops have been sent to the south.

News Item Two (Questions 23 and 24)

U.S. President George W. Bush will layout his new policy for Iraqi Wednesday night in a TV speech. However, some details of the policy have been leaked to the media.

National Oil Law: A date is to be announced for the release of a national oil law in Iraq. (23) The law will give the Iraqi central government the power to distribute current and future oil revenues to provinces and regions based on their population size. The achievement of a fair distribution of oil revenue is seen as a cornerstone of Iraqi security.

More Troops: The U.S. now has 132,000 troops in Iraq. The number will temporarily be increased by 20,000. (24) A renewed construction package costing up to 1 billion U. S. dollars is also to be announced. The money is to help create jobs and boost the Iraqi economy. Young Iraqis are to be encouraged to participate in the countries reconstruction by cleaning the streets and repairing schools.

News Item Three (Questions 25 and 26)

(25) A joint committee will soon seek further cooperation between Egypt and Spain in industry, trade, investment, and science and technology. (26) Egyptian economic sources said the two sides will discuss the possibility of setting up a joint-business council when the Egyptian-Spanish higher committee meets in the first half of September, in Madrid, Spain. The business council is aimed at balancing bilateral trade by expanding trade volume.

News Item Four (Question 27)

(27) "Japanese teenage women have grown increasingly violent in the last 20 years," a criminologist said yesterday. The ratio of women in their teens inflicting bodily injury has risen to more than 20 per 100,000 of the total Japanese population. "More than 7 times the level 20 years ago," said Jin Suki Kagiyama, a professor at the Tokyo Institute of Technology. "Japanese males have shifted increasingly to aggression, previously linked with women, such as bullying others by excluding them from conversation," he said.

News Item Five (Question 28)

(28) Despite reports of intimidation, Zimbabweans swarmed to polling stations on the final day of voting in the most competitive parliamentary election in Zimbabwe’s history.

On the first day of voting, lines of hundreds of voter, sneaked around some of the countries 4,000 polling stations. A total of 120 seats were being contested, and Mugabe appoints another 30 lawmakers, giving him and his party a built-in advantage.

News Item Six (Questions 29 and 30)

"About 40,000 Indian telecom workers called of their work-to-rule yesterday after reaching an agreement with the government," officials and union leaders said. The employees of the department of telecommunication service launched their action on Friday (29) in protest against plans to convert the department into a company and the recent appointment of a non - technical official as the department head. (30) Banks, major companies, and long-distance customers were hit by the work-to-rule, which involves obeying minor regulations, only so as to slow down the workflow.