In this section, you will hear five short news items. After each item, which will be read only once, there will be a pause. During the pause, read the question and the three choices marked A, B and C, and decide which is the best answer. Then mark the corresponding letter on the answer sheet with a single line through the centre.

单选题 What is the world's commercial growth rate in 1999?

A、

A. 5%.
B、

B. 10%.
C、

C. 15%.

【正确答案】 A

【答案解析】[听力原文] Geneva--WTO said Thursday that global commerce is now projected to expand by more than 10 per cent in 2000, double last year's growth rate, with a top official noting that the rise is not being produced by the United States alone. 文中提到2000年的经济增长率达到10%以上，这个数字double last year's growth rate“是去年增长率的两倍”，这就说明去年的增长率是5%。

单选题 Who planned to kill Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe according to an Australian TV network ?

A、

A. Strike leader Tom Jackson.
B、

B. Opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai.
C、

C. The mayor John Smith.

【正确答案】 B

【答案解析】[听力原文] An Australian television network has accused the main opposition leader in Zimbabwe of planning to kill Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe. Opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai immediately denied the report. The Australian television network SBS broadcast what it calls secretly recorded pictures of Mr. Tsvangirai reportedly discussing the murder plot with Canadian political observers. However, the quality of the recording is poor and the faces of those speaking are unclear. In Zimbabwe, opposition supporters say the Australian report is part of a government campaign to destroy Mr. Tsvangirai. Presidential elections are to be held in Zimbabwe next month. 新闻开始提到是“the main opposition leader”要计划杀害津巴布韦总统Mugabe。下文明确指出“Opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai”，所以B项正确。

单选题 Why have Venezuelan oil workers gone on strike?

A、

A. They demand a pay increase.
B、

B. They want a hundred dollars.
C、

C. They did not like their boss.

【正确答案】 A

【答案解析】[听力原文] Venezuela--Thousands of oil workers have gone on strike to demand a pay increase. Union leaders say 90% of the country's 40,000 oil workers have stopped working. However, the Venezuelan oil industry officials say operations remain the same. They say it will be one week until the strike affects oil exports. The oil workers are demanding a 15% pay increase ordered for all government workers by President Hugo Chavez. The state-owned oil company says the presidential order does not include oil workers. Also Venezuelan school teachers went on strike demanding a similar pay increase. 新闻一开始就提到Venezuelan的石油工人实行罢工，要求增加薪水，后面则介绍了相关的细节。这种先分后总的形式也是新闻的特点，可以帮助抓重点。

单选题 When did French police make the arrest?

A、

A. On Thursday.
B、

B. On Tuesday.
C、

C. On Friday.

【正确答案】 A

【答案解析】[听力原文] The United States says it will officially ask France to return an American man wanted for killing a doctor 3 years ago in New York State. French police arrested James Cope Thursday in France. He is charged with killing a doctor who helped women end unwanted pregnancies. The head of America's Federal Bureau of Investigation Louis Free says the United States will work closely with France. 新闻中提到法国警察arrested James Cope Thursday in France。

单选题 How did scientists determine the age of the universe? A. By observing the movement of the oldest stars in the universe. B. By studying the orbit of the sun. C. By fixing the age of the oldest stars in the Galaxy.

【正确答案】 C

【答案解析】[听力原文] London--Scientists are beginning to nail down the minimum age of the universe, with the latest estimate out at 12.5 billion years. Scientists can determine the age of the universe by fixing the age of the oldest stars in the Galaxy. 文中提到：Scientists can determine the age of the universe by fixing the age of the oldest stars in the Galaxy，即“科学家们通过测量银河中年纪最大的行星的年龄来确定宇宙的年龄。”故C项正确。