◆Topic 8: Is education Losing its Value? Questions for reference: 1. Some people think that this increased access to education is devaluing degrees. What’s your point of view? 2. What can the degrees bring to people? 3. Do you think it’s necessary to have increased emphasis on degrees in our society? Why?
Directions:In this section, there is one passage followed by 5 questions. Read the passage carefully, then answer the questions in a maximum of 10 words. Remember to write the answers on the Answer Sheet.
Questions 1-5 are based on the following passage.
Could the bad old days of economic decline be about to return? Since OPEC agreed to supply-cuts in March, the price of crude oil has jumped to almost $26 a barrel, up from less than $10 last December. This near-tripling of oil prices calls up scary memories of the 1973 oil shock, when prices quadrupled, and 1979-1980, when they also almost tripled. Both previous shocks resulted in double-digit inflation and global economic decline. So where are the headlines warning of gloom and doom this time?
The oil price was given another push up this week when Iraq suspended oil exports. Strengthening economic growth, at the same time as winter grips the northern hemisphere, could push the price higher still in the short term.
Yet there are good reasons to expect the economic consequences now to be less severe than in the 1970s. In most countries the cost of crude oil now accounts for a smaller share of the price of petrol than it did in the 1970s. In Europe, taxes account for up to four-fifths of the retail price, so even quite big changes in the price of crude have a more muted effect on pump prices than in the past.
Rich economies are also less dependent on oil than they were, and so less sensitive to swings in the oil price. Energy conservation, a shift to other fuels and a decline in the importance of heavy, energy-intensive industries have reduced oil consumption. Software, consultancy and mobile telephones use far less oil than steel or car production. For each dollar of GDP (in constant prices) rich economies now use nearly 50% less oil than in 1973. The OECD estimates in its latest Economic Outlook that, if oil prices averaged $22 a barrel for a full year, compared with $13 in 1998, this would increase the oil import bill in rich economies by only 0.25-0.5% of GDP. That is less than one-quarter of the income loss in 1974 or 1980. On the other hand, oil-importing emerging economies—to which heavy industry has shifted—have become more energy-intensive, and so could be more seriously squeezed.
One more reason not to lose sleep over the rise in oil prices is that, unlike the rises in the 1970s, it has not occurred against the background of general commodity-price inflation and global excess demand. A sizable portion of the world is only just emerging from economic decline. The economist’s commodity price index is broadly unchanging from a year ago. In 1973 commodity prices jumped by 70%, and in 1979 by almost 30%.
Questions:
1.What is the main reason for the latest rise of oil price?
2.What are the results of the 1970s’ oil shock?
3.It can be inferred from the text that the retail price of petrol will go up dramatically if ________.
4.According to the passage, reduction in oil consumption is due to ________, a shift to other fuels and a decline in the importance of heavy, energy-intensive industries.
5.According to the passage, compared with those in the 1970s, oil-price shocks are ________ now.
◆Topic 5: Buildings: Good to Use or Good to Look? Questions for Reference: 1. Is there any building impressed you? Describe it. 2. What are the advantages/disadvantages of buildings designed as works of art? 3. Recently, more and more people believe that a building should serve its purpose rather than looking beautiful. What’s your view?
Read the passage carefully and answer questions 1 to 5. Answer each question in a maximum of 10 words. Remember to write the answers on the answer sheet.
Every year earthquakes are responsible for a large number of deaths and a vast amount of destruction in various parts of the world. Most of these damaging earthquakes occur either in a narrow belt which surrounds the Pacific Ocean or in a line which extends from Burma to the Alps in Europe. Some of the destruction is directly caused by the quake itself. An example of this is the collapse of buildings as a result of vibration. Other damage results from landslides, tsunamis (large ocean waves) or major fires which are initiated by the quake.
There are about a million quakes a year. Fortunately, however, not all of them are destructive. The intensity of an earthquake is measured on the Richter Scale, which goes from 0 upward. The highest magnitude recorded to date is 8.9. Major damage generally occurs from quakes ranging upwards from 6. 0. Exceptions to this are those whose epicenters are located far from inhabited areas.
The actual cause of the quake itself is the rupturing or breaking of rocks at or below the earth’s surface. This is produced by pressure which scientists believe may be due to a number of reasons, two of which are the expansion and contraction of the earth’s crust and continental drift.
In order to minimize the damage and to alleviate some of the suffering resulting from earthquakes, scientists are working on ways to enable accurate prediction. Two of the instruments presently in use to achieve this goal are seismographs and tiltmeters. The former records any shaking of the earth; by means of calculations seismologists can accurately indicate the exact time, location and size of an earthquake. The latter, as the name suggests, is used to record any changes in the tilt of the land.
Questions:
1.Write down one of the two earthquake prone areas.
2.What other disasters may occur after a serious earthquake?
3.What is the unit of measurement of earthquake?
4.What is the highest magnitude in the record?
5.What are the two instruments used today to predict earthquake?
Directions: In this part, there are one chart followed by 5 questions. Read the passages carefully, then answer the questions in a maximum of 10 words. Remember to write the answers on the Answer Sheet.
1.What causes gum disease? ________________________________________
2.According to the first paragraph, can you explain what plaque is?
It is an almost ____________________________________ on __________.
3.What will happen if the plaque on your teeth is not taken away?
It will gradually ________________________________________________.
4.What can be caused by the toothpaste Corsodyl?
It can cause ________________________, _____________,and __________.
5.How long do you have to wait when using Corsodyl after drinking coffee, tea, or red wine?
____________________________________________________________.
Small boys are ______ questioners. They ask questions all the time.
Read the passage carefully and answer questions 1 to 5. Answer each question in a maximum of 10 words. Remember to write the answers on the answer sheet
The secret of the successful handshake is no secret anymore. Management consultant Robert E. Brown explains what shaking hands is all about in his book The Art, the Power, the Magic: How to Read Hands that Talk.
For example, to do the “All-American Handshake”, you have to look into another person’s eyes, grasp his or her whole hand, and pump it two or three times. According to Brown, this is the hand- shake of a good listener and trustworthy person.
Politicians and salespeople often use the “Two-Handed Shake” because it’s extra-friendly. Two-handed shakers put their left hand on the other person’s arm or shoulder as they shake hands. This can feel too friendly to some people, so it’s best to use it with good friends.
Watch out for people with handshakes that pull your fingers, or twist and crush your hand. If you get one of these handshakes, the person is trying to intimidate you.
Two more uncomfortable handshakes are the “Palm Pinch” and the “Dead Fish”. A Palm Pincher shakes your hand with only a few fingers. In the Dead Fish shake, the person’s hand slides out of the handshake. It’s possible that the people with these handshakes are embarrassed or shy.
Shaking hands is an important part of body language. It can identify someone as truthful, friendly, powerful or nervous. It’s hard to be successful without mastering a good handshake such as the All-American. If this isn’t your natural handshake, don’t worry. Mr. Brown says that you can change your handshake with lots of practice. So, go on out there and start shaking hands. Just think of all the people you can meet.
Questions:
1.Who is Robert E Brown?
2.What is the name of the book written by Robert E. Brown?
3.How many kinds of handshakes are mentioned in the passage?
4.What is a Dead Fish handshake?
5.Why is it important to learn how to shake hands well?
Questions 21 to 25 are based on the following passage. Lead deposits, which accumulated in soil and snow during the 1960’s and 70’s, were primarily the result of leaded gasoline emissions originating in the United States. In the twenty years that the Clean Air Act has mandated unleaded gas use in the United States, the lead accumulation worldwide has decreased significantly. A study published recently in the journal Nature shows that air-borne leaded gas emissions from the United States were the leading contributor to the high concentration of lead in the snow in Greenland. The new study is a result of the continued research led by Dr. Charles Boutron, an expert on the impact of heavy metals on the environment at the National Center for Scientific Research in France. A study by Dr. Boutron published in 1991 showed that lead levels in arctic (北极的) snow were declining. In his new study, Dr. Boutron found the ratios of the different forms of lead in the leaded gasoline used in the United States were different from the ratios of European, Asian and Canadian gasolines and thus enabled scientists to differentiate (区分) the lead sources. The dominant lead ratio found in Greenland snow matched that found in gasoline from the United States. In a study published in the journal Ambio, scientists found that lead levels in soil in the Northeastern United States had decreased markedly since the introduction of unleaded gasoline. Many scientists had believed that the lead would stay in soil and snow for a longer period. The authors of the Ambio study examined samples of the upper layers of soil taken from the same sites of 30 forest floors in New England, New York and Pennsylvania in 1980 and in 1990. The forest environment processed and redistributed the lead faster than the scientists had expected. Scientists say both studies demonstrate that certain parts of the ecosystem (生态系统) respond rapidly to reductions in atmospheric pollution, but that these findings should not be used as a license to pollute. How did scientists discover the source of lead pollution in Greenland? ()
Read the passage carefully and answer Questions 1 to 5. Answer each question in a maximum of 10 words. Remember to write the answers on the Answer Sheet.
Preserving the Past Today, many old buildings are being torn down so new ones can be built. But some older buildings are both beautiful and interesting. They need to be saved.
The city of San Antonio, Texas, was settled by the Spanish in the early 1700s. Later, it was governed by Mexico. If you go to San Antonio, you can see many missions or churches that were built by the Spanish. All were started between 1720 and 1731. You can also find other buildings from early periods in the history of Texas. Some of these buildings are still standing because a group of women worked to save them.
In 1924, the city of San Antonio was going to cement over the San Antonio River and turn it into an underground sewer. A group of women felt that the beauty of San Antonio should be preserved. They formed a club to keep the river from being destroyed.
The women saved the river. Then they worked together to preserve several old buildings that were going to be torn down. In the 1930s, the women saved an old mill and granary. They raised money to buy these buildings by giving tea parties and selling cakes.
More recently, the ladies in San Antonio have worked to save a Spanish convent. They could not afford to buy the whole building, so they paid for only half. Even so, the women are still looking for other old buildings to save. They want people to know about the city’s long and interesting history.
Questions:
1.What is the passage mainly about?
2.What does the word “ones” in Sentence 1 refer to?
3.What can you see if you go to San Antonio?
4.The word in Paragraph 3 that means savedis ________.
5.Why have the women worked to save the river and old buildings?
Directions: In this part of the test, you will answer three questions. For each question, begin responding immediately after you hear a beep. No preparation time is provided.Practice 1Imagine that an Irish marketing firm is doing research in your country. You have agreed to participate in a telephone interview about vegetables in your diet.Question: Do you regularly eat vegetables?