【正确答案】
B
【答案解析】[听力原文]
Mrs. Harris has come to see the headmaster of her son"s school to ask his advice about her son"s further education.
M: Good morning. Mrs. Harris. Do sit down. I understand you"d like to have a word with me about William.
W: Yes, that"s right, headmaster. I hope I should see you as soon as possible before William does anything he"ll regret.
M: Regret? Mrs. Harris?
W: Well, you see, he has his heart set on becoming an artist.
My husband and I think he ought to take up something more secure. I mean even if he went to art School, there would be no guarantee that he could get a good job afterwards.
M: He could probably teach, Mrs. Harris.
W: He wouldn"t like that. He says he wouldn"t be a teacher if it were the last job on earth. Oh, ha, beg your pardon, headmaster, I didn"t mean...
M: Not at all, Mrs. Harris.
I wouldn"t have been a teacher myself if I"d had my way. I"d have been an actor if my parents had let me.
So I have some sympathy with William"s problems. Now, let"s see, if he wants to be an artist, he"ll have to decide what sort of artist he wants to be.
W: I don"t quite follow you, headmaster.
M: Well, choosing a major can be a tricky endeavor that requires a great deal of planning. What I mean is if he wants to be a commercial graphic artist or cartoonist, that sort of thing, he might do very well if he took an art course at a technical college. And besides, the entry qualifications wouldn"t be so stiff. On the other hand, if he wants to go to one of the major art schools, you"d better not raise his hopes too high.
There"s a good deal of competition to get accepted.
And he"d have to have at least three O levels and two A"s at good grades before he"d even be considered. Oh, and there is another thing, he"d have to do a year"s foundation course first, probably at another college. He"d get a grant of course, provided he"d got the right O"s and A"s.
W:
But art, headmaster, it"s so chancy.
M: I don"t think you should stand in his way, Mrs. Harris. If I were you, I"d let him decide himself. You"d better accept the fact that
nowadays young people don"t worry about security the way we did when we were young.
Hobbies are often a predictor of what one should choose as his major. It is great that your son starts identifying his passions.
What is the purpose of Mrs. Harris" visit to the headmaster?
[解析] 对话一开始Mrs. Harris就开门见山说明来意，想让校长帮忙确保儿子William选择相对保险的专业以利将来谋生。可见Mrs. Harris目的是为儿子的专业选择征求意见，故B为正确答案。
【正确答案】
C
【答案解析】[听力原文]
According to the headmaster, what do we learn about major art schools?
[解析] 问题与major art schools有关。对话提到，如果William想要去专业艺术院校，最好不要抱太高期望，因为竞争激烈，必须成绩优异才有录取机会，还得先读一年基础课，有可能还在外校读。由此可知，C“入学竞争相当激烈”是符合专业艺术院校事实的表述。
【正确答案】
D
【答案解析】[听力原文]
According to the headmaster, what do nowadays young people like?
[解析] 问题与现在的年轻人有关。对话中校长劝Mrs. Harris不要代替William做决定，现在的年轻人不像他们当年那样担心安稳(don"t worry about security)。D项are unconcerned about是原文的同义表达，故正确。A“不愿意选择兴趣当专业”和B“接受父母替他们做决定的事实”都与事实相反。C“在进大学前知道自己酷爱什么”指的是William，而非现在的年轻人普遍都这样。