[01:44.18]1
[01:45.75]W: Oh, Dick. You are wearing a black jacket but yellow trousers.
[01:51.00]It's the strangest combination I've ever seen.
[01:54.36]M: I know. I got up late and dressed in a hurry.
[01:57.94]I didn't realize my mistake until I entered the office.
[02:02.68]Q: What does the woman think of the way Dick dressed?
[02:21.88]2
[02:23.20]M: Excuse me. But has anyone turned in a brown leather wallet?
[02:29.02]I've lost my wallet.
[02:31.31]It contains my driver's license and also some family pictures that are pretty important to me.
[02:38.03]W: Oh, yes. We had a wallet brought in this morning.
[02:41.94]Wait here just a minute, please.
[02:44.90]Q: What would the woman probably do?
[03:02.33]3
[03:05.26]M: Excuse me, Madam. Is the air -conditioning on?
[03:09.14]This room is as hot as a furnace.
[03:12.33]W: Sorry, sir. A new epidemic called SARS is threatening us right now.
[03:17.45]As apreventative measure,
[03:19.19]we are told to let in fresh air by opening the windows and not to use the air conditioners.
[03:25.34]Q: What does the woman mean?
[03:42.85]4
[03:44.42]M: You look quite different from what you used to.
[03:48.05]W: Sure. I started exercising regularly two years ago
[03:52.59]and went from 253 pounds to a healthy 160 pounds
[03:57.98][03:55.40]and that is the only thing I did not give up halfway.
[04:02.94]Q: What do we know about woman?
[04:19.52]5
[04:22.01]M: I wonder if you find my experience relevant to the job?
[04:27.21]W: Yes, certainly.
[04:29.30]But if only you had sent in your application letter a week earlier.
[04:34.13]Q: What does the woman imply?
[04:50.99]6
[04:53.35]W: Shouldn't someone go pick up the clothes form the laundry?
[04:57.02]They were ready three hours ago.
[04:59.30]M: Don't look at me, mom.
[05:01.23]Q: What does the boy mean?
[05:17.86]7
[05:19.90]M: Er..Hi, could you tell me where electronic products are displayed?
[05:26.52]I want to see some TVs, digital video cameras, DVD players, that sort of thing.
[05:33.36]W: Well. Several countries are displaying electronic products.
[05:37.34]China's selection is very large this year.
[05:40.54]You might as well go to the east wing first to take a look at a Chinese booth.
[05:45.44]Q: Where is the conversation most probably taking place?
[06:05.24]8
[06:07.11]M: Well, what did you think of the movie?
[06:10.77]W: I don't know why I let you talk me into going.
[06:14.08]I just don't like violence.
[06:16.41]Next time you'd better choose a comedy.
[06:19.62]Q: What can we infer from the conversation?
[06:37.23]9
[06:40.09]W: Who do you think should get the job? How about Mr. Becket?
[06:44.14]M: Mr. Becket? I'm not sure. Ile is a nice fellow, of course,
[06:49.09]and easy to get along with.But I doubt his professional expertise.
[06:54.36]I want someone who can get the job done.
[06:57.82]Q: What do we learn from the conversation about Mr. Becket?
[07:16.58]10.
[07:18.88]M: Do you think home videoplayers will replace movie theatres
[07:23.32]and force them out of the entertainment business?
[07:26.65]W: We're certainly faced with the grave challenge from the DVD industry.
[07:31.19]That's why I think we have to revolutionize our concept of movie showing.
[07:35.97]As I see it,the movie theatre should not just be a place to watch a film,
[07:40.62]but a place to meet people.
[07:43.27]Q: What does the woman think of the movie theatre?
[08:37.16]Passage 1
[08:39.67]Few people can stand for the spirit of earlier America as much as Benjamin Franklin.
[08:45.45]He lived through almost the whole of the 18th century.
[08:49.50]He was born six years after the century began,
[08:53.43]and died ten years before it ended.
[08:56.04]During this time,
[08:58.04]he saw the American colonies grow from tiny settlements into a nation
[09:02.14]and he also contribuled much to the new state.
[09:06.09]He was deeply interested in science and nalural history
[09:10.18]and his experiments with electricity and lightning
[09:13.38]led directly to the invention of the lightning rod.
[09:16.86]He was also interested in improving the conditions of his fellow men.
[09:22.19]He was involvcd in a numbcr of projccts in his native Philadelphia,
[09:27.07]including thesetting up of a library, and a university,
[09:30.81]a philosophical society and fire-prevention service.
[09:35.85]He worked hard to enable the American colonies to gain independence from Britain.
[09:41.51]As ambassador to France, he encouraged the French to help George Washington.
[09:47.39]After the war, he attended the American Constitutional Congress.
[09:52.63]This was his last contribution, for he died late that year.
[09:57.31]He is still fondly remembered by Americans as one of the creators of the United States.
[10:04.77]Questions 11 to 13 are based on the passage you have just heard.
[10:11.23]11. What did the speaker say about Benjamin Franklin?
[10:31.90]12. How did Franklin help George Washington?
[10:52.39]13. According to the passage, what is Franklin still well remembered as?
[11:16.22]Passage 2
[11:18.98]Yuppies are young people who earn a lot of money
[11:23.28]and live in a style that is too expensive for most people.
[11:27.55]If you're invited to a yuppie dinner party,
[11:30.48]don't besurprised if you're offered freshly-cooked insects as a first course.
[11:36.79]While the idea ofeating fried insects fills most of us with horror,
[11:42.22]insect-eating is becoming highly fashionable.
[11:45.74]For example, in the media industry,
[11:48.32]successful executives are often seen to eat fried or boiled insects from time to time
[11:55.32]while working at their desks.
[11:58.17]These safe-to-eat insects can be found and ordered on the Internet.
[12:03.61]And young people arelogging on to exotic food websites
[12:07.89]and ordering samples of prepared insects to serveat their dinner parties.
[12:13.90]Although the idea of eating insects is probably disgusting to most of us,
[12:20.09]few people would claim that pigs, chickens, and some kind of seafood
[12:25.47]we often eat are examples of great beauty.
[12:29.38]One day, insects could be marketed and sold asfood item in supermarket.
[12:36.51]According to their fans,
[12:38.26]they are not only high in proteinand low in fat, but also very tasty.
[12:43.99]But until our attitudes to food change fundamentally,
[12:48.70]it seems that insect-eaters will remain a select few.
[12:55.05]Questions 14 to 17 are based on the passage you have just heard.
[13:00.86]14. Why did the speaker say we might be surprised at the yuppie dinner party?
[13:24.91]15. Where can the people order the unusual food mentioned by the speaker?
[13:48.52]16. Why are some yuppies attracted by the unusual food?
[14:10.52]17. What does the speaker say about the future of this type of unusual food?
[14:34.17]Passage 3
[14:36.35]Many people dislike walking lo the bank,standing in long lines and running out of checks.
[14:43.20]They are dissatisfied with that bank's limited hours, too.
[14:47.74]They want to do some banking at nights and on weekends.
[14:52.07]For such people, their problems may soon be over.
[14:56.32]Before long,they may b3 able to do their banking from the comfort of their own home,
[15:02.26]any hour of the day, any day of the week.
[15:05.66]Many banks are preparing online branches or Internet offices,
[15:11.05]which means that people will be able to take care of much of their banking business
[15:15.31]through their home computers.
[15:17.88]This process is called "interactive banking".
[15:21.59]At these online branches, customers will be able to view all their accounts,
[15:27.33]move money between their accounts,
[15:29.56]apply for a loan and getcurrent informnation on product such as credit cards.
[15:35.15]Cuslomers will also be able to pay their bills electrically
[15:39.59]and even email questions to their bank.
[15:42.94]Banks are creating online services for several reasons.
[15:47.46]One reason is that banks must compete for customers
[15:51.87]who will switch to another bank if they are dissatisficd with the service they receive.
[15:56.69]The convenience of online banking appeals to the kind of customerbanks most want to keep.
[16:02.96]That is, people who are young, well-educated and have good incomes.
[16:08.01]Banks also want to take advantage of modern technology since they have moved to 21st century.
[16:17.05]Questions 18 to 20 are based on the passage you have just heard.
[16:22.48]18. What is one of the reasons for people's dissatisfaction with traditional banks?
[16:46.43]19. What kind of customers does online banking most appeal to?
[17:09.79]20. Why do banks create online services according to the passage?