听力题 We all know that it is possible for ordinary people to make their homes on the equator, although often they may feel uncomfortably hot there. Millions do it. But as for the North Pole, we know that it is not only a dangerously cold place, but that people like you and me would find it quite impossible to live there. At the present time only the scientists and explorers can do so, and they use special equipment. Men have been travelling across and around the equator on wheels, on their feet or in ships for thousands of years; but only a few men, with great difficulty and in very recent time, have ever crossed the ice to the North Pole. So it may surprise you to learn that, when travelling by air, it is really safer to fly over the North Pole than over the equator. Of course, this is not true about landings in the polar region (which passenger airplane do not make), but the weather, if we are flying at a height of 5,000 meters above the Pole, is a delight. At 4,000 meters and more above the earth you can always be sure that you will not see a cloud in the sky as far as the eye can reach. In the tropics, on the other hand, you are not certain to keep clear of bad weather even at such heights as 18,000 or 20,000 metres. Aeroplane can''t climb as high or as quickly in cold air as in warm. Nor can clouds. In practice, this is an advantage to the aeroplane, which is already at a good height when it reaches the polar region and so does not need to climb, while at the same time cold air keeps the clouds down low. We all know that it is possible for ordinary people to make their homes on the equator, although often they may feel uncomfortably hot there. Millions do it. But as for the North Pole, we know that it is not only a dangerously cold place, but that people like you and me would find it quite impossible to live there. At the present time only the scientists and explorers can do so, and they use special equipment. Men have been travelling across and around the equator on wheels, on their feet or in ships for thousands of years; but only a few men, with great difficulty and in very recent time, have ever crossed the ice to the North Pole. So it may surprise you to learn that, when travelling by air, it is really safer to fly over the North Pole than over the equator. Of course, this is not true about landings in the polar region (which passenger airplane do not make), but the weather, if we are flying at a height of 5,000 meters above the Pole, is a delight. At 4,000 meters and more above the earth you can always be sure that you will not see a cloud in the sky as far as the eye can reach. In the tropics, on the other hand, you are not certain to keep clear of bad weather even at such heights as 18,000 or 20,000 metres. Aeroplane can''t climb as high or as quickly in cold air as in warm. Nor can clouds. In practice, this is an advantage to the aeroplane, which is already at a good height when it reaches the polar region and so does not need to climb, while at the same time cold air keeps the clouds down low.

听力题Questions16to18arebasedonthepassageyouhavejustheard

听力题When my husband was promoted

听力题 When Iraqi troops blew up hundreds of Kuwait''s oil well at the end of the Gulf War, scientists feared an environmental disaster. Would black powder in the smoke from the fires circle the globe and block out the sun? Many said no way. Rain would wash the black power from the atmosphere. But in America, air-sampling balloons have detected high concentrations of particles similar to those collected in Kuwait. Now that the fires are out, scientists are turning their attention to yet another threat — the oil that didn''t catch fire. It has formed huge lakes in the Kuwaiti desert. They trap insects and birds and poison a variety of other desert animals and plants. The only good news is that the oil lakes have not affected the underground water resources. So far, the oil has not been absorbed because of the hard sand just below the surface. Nothing, however, stops the oil from evaporating. The resulting poisonous gases are choking nearby residents. Officials are trying to organize a quick cleanup but they are not sure how to do it. One possibility is to burn the oil. Get those powder detectors ready! When Iraqi troops blew up hundreds of Kuwait''s oil well at the end of the Gulf War, scientists feared an environmental disaster. Would black powder in the smoke from the fires circle the globe and block out the sun? Many said no way. Rain would wash the black power from the atmosphere. But in America, air-sampling balloons have detected high concentrations of particles similar to those collected in Kuwait. Now that the fires are out, scientists are turning their attention to yet another threat — the oil that didn''t catch fire. It has formed huge lakes in the Kuwaiti desert. They trap insects and birds and poison a variety of other desert animals and plants. The only good news is that the oil lakes have not affected the underground water resources. So far, the oil has not been absorbed because of the hard sand just below the surface. Nothing, however, stops the oil from evaporating. The resulting poisonous gases are choking nearby residents. Officials are trying to organize a quick cleanup but they are not sure how to do it. One possibility is to burn the oil. Get those powder detectors ready!

听力题M: Ow! That hurts! W: What happened

听力题Questions 22 to 25 are based on the passage you have just heard

听力题Long ago, Deer had no antlers

听力题Time spent in a bookshop can be most enjoyable, whether you are a book-lover or merely there to buy a book as a present. You may even have entered the shop just to find (36)___________from a sudden shower. Whatever the reason, you can soon become totally unaware of your (37)___________. The desire to pick up a book with an attractive cover is (38) ___________, although this method of selection ought not to be (39) ___________, as you might end up with a rather dull book. You soon become (40)___________in some book or other, and usually it is much later that you realize you have spent far too much time there and must (41) ___________off to keep some forgotten (42) ___________—without buying a book, of course. This opportunity to escape the realities of everyday life is, I think, the main (43)___________ of a bookshop. There are not many places where it is possible to do this. A music shop is very much like a bookshop. (44) ________________________. If it is a good shop, no assistant will approach you with the inevitable greeting: "Can I help you, sir?" You needn''t buy anything you don''t want. (45) ________________________. Then, and only then, are his services necessary. Of course, you may want to find out where a particular section is, but (46)________________________.

听力题In police work, you can never predict the next crime or problem. No working day is identical to any other, so there is no "(36)________ " day for a police officer. Some days are (37) ________ slow, and the job is (38) ________; other days are so busy that there is no time to eat. I think I can (39) ________ police work in one word: (40) ________. Sometimes it''s dangerous. One day, for example, I was working (41) ________; that is, I was on the job, but I was wearing (42) ________ clothes, not my police (43) ________. I was trying to catch some robbers who were stealing money from people as they walked down the street. Suddenly, (44)_________________________. Another policeman arrived, and together, we arrested three of the men; but the other four ran away. Another day, I helped a woman who was going to have a baby. (45) _________________________. I put her in my police car to get there faster. I thought she was going to have the baby right there in my car. But fortunately, (46) _________________________.

听力题 Perhaps the most unusual animal ever brought to Australia was the cane toad. It is a large and ugly species of toad and was imported to this country by the sugar cane farmers in 1935 to get rid of the beetle which kills the sugar cane plant. The cane beetle is the natural enemy of the sugar cane plant. It lives in the cane and drops its eggs onto the ground around the base of the cane. The eggs develop into worms and then the worms eat the roots of the cane, resulting in the death of the plant. In the mid 30s there was a serious outbreak of the cane beetle and the farmers became desperate to get rid of the pest which was ruining their livelihood. Meanwhile it was reported that a toad, native to Central America, had been taken to Hawaii, where cane is also grown, and introduced with apparent success. So the Australian farmers arranged to import one hundred loads from Hawaii. The toads were then released into the cane fields to kill the cane beetle. As predicted, the toads started to breed successfully and within a very short time their numbers had swollen. But there was one serious problem. It turned out that cane toads do not eat cane beetles. And the reason for this is that toads live on insects that are found on the ground and the cane beetle live at the top of the cane plant well out of reach of the toads. In fact they never come into contact with each other. Perhaps the most unusual animal ever brought to Australia was the cane toad. It is a large and ugly species of toad and was imported to this country by the sugar cane farmers in 1935 to get rid of the beetle which kills the sugar cane plant. The cane beetle is the natural enemy of the sugar cane plant. It lives in the cane and drops its eggs onto the ground around the base of the cane. The eggs develop into worms and then the worms eat the roots of the cane, resulting in the death of the plant. In the mid 30s there was a serious outbreak of the cane beetle and the farmers became desperate to get rid of the pest which was ruining their livelihood. Meanwhile it was reported that a toad, native to Central America, had been taken to Hawaii, where cane is also grown, and introduced with apparent success. So the Australian farmers arranged to import one hundred loads from Hawaii. The toads were then released into the cane fields to kill the cane beetle. As predicted, the toads started to breed successfully and within a very short time their numbers had swollen. But there was one serious problem. It turned out that cane toads do not eat cane beetles. And the reason for this is that toads live on insects that are found on the ground and the cane beetle live at the top of the cane plant well out of reach of the toads. In fact they never come into contact with each other.

听力题M: Could you tell me your date of birth please

听力题 We use all sorts of services without thinking how we get them. But such services cost money. We pay for them through taxes. What would happen if everyone in the city stopped paying taxes? The water supply would stop, the streets might not be cleaned, there would be no police force to protect people and property. The chief duty of every government is to protect persons and property. More than 3/4 of the money spent by our government is used for this purpose. The next largest amount of public money goes to teach and train our citizens. Billions of dollars each year are spent on schools and libraries. Public money is used to pay the teachers and other public officials. Years ago, the government made money from the sale of public lands. But most of the best public lands have now been sold. The money raised was used to help pay the cost of the government. There''re still some public lands that contain oil, ore, gas and other natural products. They could be sold, but we want to save them for the future. So we all must pay our share for the services that make our lives comfortable. We use all sorts of services without thinking how we get them. But such services cost money. We pay for them through taxes. What would happen if everyone in the city stopped paying taxes? The water supply would stop, the streets might not be cleaned, there would be no police force to protect people and property. The chief duty of every government is to protect persons and property. More than 3/4 of the money spent by our government is used for this purpose. The next largest amount of public money goes to teach and train our citizens. Billions of dollars each year are spent on schools and libraries. Public money is used to pay the teachers and other public officials. Years ago, the government made money from the sale of public lands. But most of the best public lands have now been sold. The money raised was used to help pay the cost of the government. There''re still some public lands that contain oil, ore, gas and other natural products. They could be sold, but we want to save them for the future. So we all must pay our share for the services that make our lives comfortable.

听力题In Europe

听力题W: I usually advise first-year engineering students to take mathematics, chemistry, and an introductory engineering course the first quarter. M: Oh. That''s only three classes. W: Yes. But I''m sure that you''ll be busy. They''re all five-hour courses, and you''ll have to meet each class every day. The chemistry course has an additional two-hour laboratory. So that would be seventeen hours of class a week. W: That''s right. M: Okay. Which mathematics course do you think that I should take? W: Have you taken very much math in high school? M: Four years. I had algebra, geometry, trigonometry. W: Good. Then I suggest that you take the math placement test. It''s offered this Friday at nine o''clock in the morning in Tower Auditorium. M: Do I need anything to be admitted? I mean a permission slip? W: No. Just identification. A driver''s license will be fine. M: Do I take a chemistry test too? W: No. Chemistry 100 is designed for students who have never taken a chemistry course, and Chemistry 200 is for students who have had chemistry in high school. M: I''ve had two courses. W: Then you should take Chemistry 200, Orientation to Engineering and either Mathematics 130 or 135, depending on the results of your placement test. Come back Friday afternoon. I should have your score on the test by then and we can get you registered. W: I usually advise first-year engineering students to take mathematics, chemistry, and an introductory engineering course the first quarter. M: Oh. That''s only three classes. W: Yes. But I''m sure that you''ll be busy. They''re all five-hour courses, and you''ll have to meet each class every day. The chemistry course has an additional two-hour laboratory. So that would be seventeen hours of class a week. W: That''s right. M: Okay. Which mathematics course do you think that I should take? W: Have you taken very much math in high school? M: Four years. I had algebra, geometry, trigonometry. W: Good. Then I suggest that you take the math placement test. It''s offered this Friday at nine o''clock in the morning in Tower Auditorium. M: Do I need anything to be admitted? I mean a permission slip? W: No. Just identification. A driver''s license will be fine. M: Do I take a chemistry test too? W: No. Chemistry 100 is designed for students who have never taken a chemistry course, and Chemistry 200 is for students who have had chemistry in high school. M: I''ve had two courses. W: Then you should take Chemistry 200, Orientation to Engineering and either Mathematics 130 or 135, depending on the results of your placement test. Come back Friday afternoon. I should have your score on the test by then and we can get you registered.

听力题 My father woke me up early one morning when I was fourteen, and announced "Get up! You are going with me to cut grass." I felt proud and excited, because my father thought I was responsible enough to help him in his business. Still, that first day was very hard. From sunrise to sunset, my father, my younger brother and I cut and trimmed very large yards in a well-to-do part of the city. By the end of the day, I was exhausted, but I felt good. I had put in a hard day''s labor and had earned six dollars. One day, my father spotted some leaves I had missed cutting, and pulled me aside. "Cut that section again," he said firmly, "and don''t make me have to tell you to do it again." The message was clear. Today, I stress the importance of doing a job right the first time. In every job I have held, from cutting lawns to washing dishes to working a machine on the construction site, I have learned something that helped me in my next job. If you work hard enough, you can learn from any job you do. My father woke me up early one morning when I was fourteen, and announced "Get up! You are going with me to cut grass." I felt proud and excited, because my father thought I was responsible enough to help him in his business. Still, that first day was very hard. From sunrise to sunset, my father, my younger brother and I cut and trimmed very large yards in a well-to-do part of the city. By the end of the day, I was exhausted, but I felt good. I had put in a hard day''s labor and had earned six dollars. One day, my father spotted some leaves I had missed cutting, and pulled me aside. "Cut that section again," he said firmly, "and don''t make me have to tell you to do it again." The message was clear. Today, I stress the importance of doing a job right the first time. In every job I have held, from cutting lawns to washing dishes to working a machine on the construction site, I have learned something that helped me in my next job. If you work hard enough, you can learn from any job you do.

听力题 The city''s museums are much more than cultural centers. They are major contributors to the city''s economy. Not only do they provide jobs for people living in the city, but the museums also attract tourists who spend money in hotels , restaurants and stores. Each year mass-motoring tours visit our museums and spend millions of dollars in the city, but only a fraction of that money is ever seen by the museums. This, in addition to recent cuts in government aid, has hurt the museums. And museums are in trouble, though we can all help by increasing our contributions and encourage others to support cultural institutions. We should help the museums and help ourselves, too. This message is by Crocker Bank, which is interested in keeping New York financially healthy. The city''s museums are much more than cultural centers. They are major contributors to the city''s economy. Not only do they provide jobs for people living in the city, but the museums also attract tourists who spend money in hotels , restaurants and stores. Each year mass-motoring tours visit our museums and spend millions of dollars in the city, but only a fraction of that money is ever seen by the museums. This, in addition to recent cuts in government aid, has hurt the museums. And museums are in trouble, though we can all help by increasing our contributions and encourage others to support cultural institutions. We should help the museums and help ourselves, too. This message is by Crocker Bank, which is interested in keeping New York financially healthy.

听力题 Students sitting the National College Entrance Exam are likely to see cell phone signals blocked inside exam sites this year to prevent cheating. While education authorities said they would use modern technology to tighten management of exam sites, the new regulation didn''t bother the majority of local exam takers. The new regulation, which was issued by the Ministry of Education, suggested cities—especially those with a track record of cheating scandals—equip exam sites with cell phone signal shielding facilities. It means handsets won''t work even if students have their phones on during the exam. "The city will follow the Ministry of Education''s instruction," said Wang Xin, a publicity official with the Shanghai Education Commission. "But exam site management details have yet to be worked out. Previously, students were only asked to switch off cell phones. However, people could switch their phones to vibration mode." In June, 18 students in Guizhou Province were disqualified from the exam after they attempted to seek help from teachers by sending exam questions via short message. A popular measure that exam organizers take is to install a microelectronic wave detector. An alarm sounds if a cell phone is found working in the classroom. Officials said it is impractical to simply ban handsets from exam rooms as students can hide them in many places or use other devices. Students sitting the National College Entrance Exam are likely to see cell phone signals blocked inside exam sites this year to prevent cheating. While education authorities said they would use modern technology to tighten management of exam sites, the new regulation didn''t bother the majority of local exam takers. The new regulation, which was issued by the Ministry of Education, suggested cities—especially those with a track record of cheating scandals—equip exam sites with cell phone signal shielding facilities. It means handsets won''t work even if students have their phones on during the exam. "The city will follow the Ministry of Education''s instruction," said Wang Xin, a publicity official with the Shanghai Education Commission. "But exam site management details have yet to be worked out. Previously, students were only asked to switch off cell phones. However, people could switch their phones to vibration mode." In June, 18 students in Guizhou Province were disqualified from the exam after they attempted to seek help from teachers by sending exam questions via short message. A popular measure that exam organizers take is to install a microelectronic wave detector. An alarm sounds if a cell phone is found working in the classroom. Officials said it is impractical to simply ban handsets from exam rooms as students can hide them in many places or use other devices.

听力题A; I''d like to welcome "sports world" Johnny Sprag, captain of that great football team, Manchester united. Hello, Johnny. How are you? B; Hello, Brian. Fine, thanks. A; Now, Johnny, your team, Manchester United, is playing in the League Cup Final on Saturday. You hope to win the League Cup for the fourth time next Saturday. But Leeds City is a hard team to beat. What do you think of your chances? B; Well, Brain, I''m sure we''ll win. Leeds is a very strong team, but we''ve never been better than we are today. A; So you''re quite sure Manchester will win the Cup for the fourth time? B; I certainly am, Brian. A; Well, I wish you the best of luck for Saturday. B: Thanks very much, Brian. A; And, by the way, happy birthday! How old are you now? B; I''m 31 today. A; Good. How are you going to celebrate? B: Well, I''m going to take my wife and two little girls out for dinner tonight. A: Good. And finally, tell us about the future, Johnny. What will you be doing in five years'' time? B; Well, Brian, I hope I''ll still be playing football in five years'' time. But perhaps in ten years'' time, when I have to retire form playing, I don''t want to leave football. I''d really like to train young footballers. I don''t know for sure, but I always want to work in football. A; Good. Well, it''s been nice talking to you, Johnny. I''ll be watching the match on Saturday. Thanks for coming to talk to us. B; Thanks, Brian. Thank you for having me. A; I''d like to welcome "sports world" Johnny Sprag, captain of that great football team, Manchester united. Hello, Johnny. How are you? B; Hello, Brian. Fine, thanks. A; Now, Johnny, your team, Manchester United, is playing in the League Cup Final on Saturday. You hope to win the League Cup for the fourth time next Saturday. But Leeds City is a hard team to beat. What do you think of your chances? B; Well, Brain, I''m sure we''ll win. Leeds is a very strong team, but we''ve never been better than we are today. A; So you''re quite sure Manchester will win the Cup for the fourth time? B; I certainly am, Brian. A; Well, I wish you the best of luck for Saturday. B: Thanks very much, Brian. A; And, by the way, happy birthday! How old are you now? B; I''m 31 today. A; Good. How are you going to celebrate? B: Well, I''m going to take my wife and two little girls out for dinner tonight. A: Good. And finally, tell us about the future, Johnny. What will you be doing in five years'' time? B; Well, Brian, I hope I''ll still be playing football in five years'' time. But perhaps in ten years'' time, when I have to retire form playing, I don''t want to leave football. I''d really like to train young footballers. I don''t know for sure, but I always want to work in football. A; Good. Well, it''s been nice talking to you, Johnny. I''ll be watching the match on Saturday. Thanks for coming to talk to us. B; Thanks, Brian. Thank you for having me.

听力题Honesty is one of the best virtues. It is also one of the most important and (36)________ personal qualities that people should build, because honesty can bring you (37)________ and respect from others. An honest person can (38)________ real friendship. He can also be (39)________with responsibility, which is (40)________to his success and happiness. An honest student should (41)________ all himself to his studies, showing humiliation before knowledge. An honest businessman may win over more and more customers through being true to the customers in (42)________competitions. In (43)________, a student who cheats in examinations may be caught on the spot and destroy his own reputation. A businessman may lose his customers and even markets (44)________________________. (45)________________________, all can be attributed to deception and dishonesty. Remember, (46)________________________.

听力题One night in April 1912, a huge new (36)_________liner, the Titanic, was (37)________the Atlantic. She was just about the most (38)_________ship that had ever been built. She was going very fast, which was (39)_________because there were icebergs around and it was very dark that night. The passengers were all having a good time when the ship suddenly ( 40 )__________one of the icebergs. The ship began to (41)__________and the passengers tried to (42)_________, but there were not enough lifeboats since nobody thought they would ever be necessary. Eight white rockets were (43)________into the air in order to get help. Another ship, the Californian, was passing nearby. An officer and another sailor on it saw the rockets. (44)___________________ and were just firing the rockets in fun. Anyway they did wake the captain. But the captain was too sleepy to understand and the Californian just went on sailing away, in another direction. When the Titanic finally went down, (45) ___________________. They were trying to keep the passengers calm. Two thirds of the passengers were drowned. (46) ___________________.