{{B}}Section A{{/B}} In this section, you will hear five short conversations. Each conversation will be read only once. At the end of each conversation, there will be a pause. During the pause, read the question with 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.

{{B}}Interview Two{{/B}}

ChoosinguniversitymajorshasbecomethetopconcernamongnewhighschoolgraduatesastheyawaittheresultsoftheNationalCollegeEntranceExams.Everyyear,millionsofstudentscrowdintoafewso-called,"hot"majorsinthehopesofgettingabetteriobaftergraduation,butthelatestsurveyshowsthattheconnectionisfarfromguaranteed,ChinaYouthDailyreposedonMonday.Thesurvey,conductedbyconsuhingfirmMyCOS,showedthatsupplyexceedingdemandisacommonphenomenonamongthehottestmajorsinChina.Thetenundergraduatemajorswiththehighestnumberofunemployedgraduatesarecalled"hot"majors.Theresultsofthesurveyshowthat33percentoftheunemployedrecentgraduatestookoneofthetenhottestmajorsincollege.Accordingtothesurvey,theaverageemploymentrateofcollegegraduatesis91percentsixmonthsaftergraduation,buttherateofemploymentformanywhotooktheso-calledhotmajorsdoesn'treachthislevel.Amonglawgraduates,forexample,theemploymentrateisonly86percent.DrWangBoqingofMyCOSthinksthatenrollmentlevelsinhotcoursesarethemainreasonfortheimbalance.Mostofthestudentsdidn'thaveemploymentplansbeforechoosingtheirmajors,andreliedonlimitedsuggestionsfromtheirteachersandparents.Thesestudentsdidn'thaveenoughinformationtomakethebestchoice,Wangsaid.Anothersurveyshowsthatthemajorityofstudents(56.7percent)choosemajorswiththeirparents,20percentdiscusstheirplanswithteachers,andanother15.9percentdecideontheirown.Only7.4percentmadeadecisionwiththehelpofaptitudetests,whicharepopularinWesterncountriesasameansofguidingstudentsintotakingappropriateprofessionalpaths.Carelesschoicesleadtodissatisfactionamonggraduates.Asurveybyzhaopincomshowsthat52percentofrespondentswishtheyhadchosenadifferentmajor,and34percentwanttotakeupadditionalmajors.Only14percentsaytheydon'tregrettheirchoices.However,thesituationisbecomingbrighter.Alongwithincreasedguidanceatschool,studentscanalsofindtheinformationtheyneedontheInternetasmorewebsitesbeginofferingcourseselectiontipsandrelatedemploymentinformation.Wangsaidcolleges,too,needtoadapttheircoursestofitthechangingsocioeconomicstructureandcapenrollmentincertainprogrammes.

The physiological differences between introverts and extraverts are believed existing by few researchers nowadays.

{{B}}Section A{{/B}} Translate the underlined sentences of the following passage into Chinese. Remember to write the answers on the Answer Sheet. Mighty Flighty A fly can do one thing extremely well: fly. (86) {{U}}Recently a team of British scientists declared that the common housefly is the most talented aerodynamicist on the planet, superior to any bird, bat, or bee.{{/U}} A housefly can make six turns a second; hover; fly straight up, down, or backward; do somersaults; land on the ceiling; and perform various other show-off maneuvers. And it has a brain smaller than a sesame seed. Michael Dickinson, who studies fly flight in his lib at Cahech, says the housefly isn't actually the best flier. 'Hoverflies are the be-all and end-all,' he says. (87) {{U}}They can hover in one spot, hurtle through the air to another location, and then race back to their original hovering point precisely.{{/U}} Scientists, engineers, and military researchers want to know how creatures with such small brains can do that. Maybe they could reverse-engineer a fly to make a robotic device that could reconnoiter dangerous places, such as earthquake zones or collapsed mines. Dickinson's laboratory works with fruit flies. Researchers put them in chambers and manipulate the visual field, filming the flies in super-slow motion, 6,000 frames a second. Dickinson is interested in knowing how flies avoid collisions. He has found that certain patterns, such as 90-degree turns, are triggered by visual cues and two equilibrium organs on their backs that function like a gyroseope. Flies have only a dozen muscles for maneuvering, but they're loaded with sensors. In addition to their compound eyes, which permit panoramic imagery and are excellent at detecting motion, they have wind-sensitive hairs and antennae. They also have three light sensors, called ocelli, on the tops of their heads, which tell them which way is up. Roughly two-thirds of a fly's entire nervous system is devoted to processing visual images. They take all this sensory data and boil it clown to a few basic commands, such as 'go left' and 'go right.' (88) {{U}}Imagine if you didn't utter an opinion until you had read hundreds of books, magazines, newspaper articles, and blogs, and then issued a statement based on a few basic notions.{{/U}} That's how a fly approaches flying. Only the fly is a speed reader. The information processing takes a fraction of a second. Researcher Rafal Zbikowski of Cranfield University in Shrivenham, England, calls this mode of operation a 'sensor-rich feedback control paradigm.' (89) {{U}}Given that flies have evolved for hundreds of millions of years (and that they were the first animals to take to the air), we shouldn't be surprised that they're such good fliers.{{/U}} 'They just don't have brains like ours. Studying flies,' says Dickinson, 'is like traveling to another planet.'

"SlowMovement"EncouragesLessStressfulLivingCarlHonore,arecovered"speedaholic",hadanepiphanythatcausedhimtoslowdownthehecticpaceofhislife.AjournalistbasedinLondon,Honorereadanewspaperarticleontime-sayingtipswhichmentionedabookofone-minutebedtimestories.(79)Hefoundthisanappealingideasincehe'dalreadygotintothehabitofspeed-readingstoriestohisson."Myfirstreactionwas,'Yes,one-minutebedtimestories,'"hesaid."Mynextthought,was,'Whoa,hasitreallycometothis?'Thatwasreallywhenalightbulbwentoffinmyhead."(80)Honorerealisedhehadbecomesoanxioustorushthroughthisnightlyritualthathe'dratherreadsevenoreveneightstoriesinlesstimethanitwouldtakeanormalpersontoreadone.Hewasn'tmakingthemostofthis"qualitytime"withhisson.Asaresult,Honoreembarkedonfindingawaytoaddresstheissueof"timepoverty",theconstantfast-forwardmotioninwhichmanyover-scheduled,stressed-outpeoplerushtowardstheirnexttask-whetheritiswork,meals,orfamilytime-ratherthansavingwhattheyconsidertobemostimportant.Honore'sbook,InPratseofSloumess:HowaWorldwideMovementIsChallengingtheCultofSpeed,hasmadehimtheunofficialgodfatherofagrowingculturalshifttowardsslowingdown."[There'sa]backlashagainstthemainstreamdictatethatfasterisalwaysbetter,andputsquantityalwaysaheadofquality,"hesaid."PeopleallacrosstheWestarewakinguptothefollyofthat."Foradvocatesofthe"SlowMovement",it'snotaboutrejectingtechnologyorchangingmodernlifecompletely,butratheraboutkeepingit,itallinbalance.ThismeansnottalkingonthephonewhiledrivingandcheckingaBlackBerry,whileheadingtothedrive-throughbeforethenextmeeting."Ilovetechnology.Ilovespeed.Youneedsomethingstobefast-icehockey,squash,afastInternetconnection,"Honoresaid."But,"hesaid,"mypassionforspeedhadbecomeanaddiction.Iwasdoingeverythingfaster."HowtoSlowDownTomakethetransitiontoaslowerlife,Honorehasseveralsuggestions:don'tschedulesomethingineveryfreemomentofyourday-prioritiseactivities,cutfromthebottomofthelist,andkeepaneyeonyour"personalspeedometer"soyoucangaugewhenyouarerushingforspeed'ssakeratherthannecessity.Don'texpecttochangeimmediately-orevennaturally."Youdon'tslowdownbysnappingyourfingersandsaying,'NowI'mslow',"saidHonore,whogotaspeedingticketonhiswaytoaSlowFooddinnerwhiledoingresearchforhisbook."Thathappens,"hesaid."Mylifehasbeentransformed,butsometimesIstillfeelthatolditch."Y(forYES)ifthestatementagreeswiththeinformationgiveninthepassage;N(forNO)ifthestatementcontradictstheinformationgiveninthepassageontheanswersheetwithasinglelinethroughthecentre.

Why does Charles Cotton suggest that employers communicate with their straight—forwardly ?

You can charm other people, especially your parents, into doing things the way you want.

{{B}}Conversation Two{{/B}}

The site had a number of features which made it attractive to potential users: fast service, search capabilities, low costs for users, tools for comparing prices of books, and personalisation in the form of customer-written book reviews.

In this section, you will hear two long conversations. Each conversation will be read only once. At the end of each conversation, there will be a one-minute pause. During the pause, read the five questions, each with 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.{{B}}Conversation One{{/B}}

{{B}}Section A{{/B}} In this section, you will hear five short conversations. Each conversation will be read only once. At the end of each conversation, there will be a twenty-second 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.

{{B}}Section A{{/B}} Translate the underlined sentences of the following passage into Chinese. Remember to write the answers on the answer sheet. While military scientists test lasers against satellites, surgeons use them as miraculously accurate scalpels(外科用小刀). They can even be used to detonate hydrogen bombs. (81) {{U}}The beam can be focused to spot one fiftieth the size of a human hair, yet its intensity is enough to kill cancer cells or drill through the most delicate bones.{{/U}} More than a decade ago, eye surgeons realized that they could use laser's beam to seal individually, the microscopic blood vessels in the retina (视网膜). The beam is so fine that only the target is heated. Now its pinpoint blasting power has been turned to destroying cancer cells and reducing birthmarks. For cancer treatment, the diseased cells must be killed while their healthy neighbors are left unharmed. (82) {{U}}Where the cancer can be directly and accurately attacked, laser treatment does well: early cancer of the cervix (颈) and skin cancers have been widely and successfully treated.{{/U}} This type of cancer is not very easy to reach. (83) {{U}}For cancers that are less accessible there is a new and potentially valuable technique in which the patient is injected with a chemical that then attaches itself preferentially to cancer cells. When the laser strikes the chemical, it releases a form of oxygen that kills these cells.{{/U}} Birthmarks, once almost untreatable, are a mass of blood vessels and, being red, they absorb the laser beam strongly. It seals them so that the mark becomes less conspicuous. (84) {{U}}The normal cells of the skin's surface, which don't absorb much of the laser beam, act in the healing and help to conceal the mark{{/U}}. The beam can cut with a precision that no scalpel could achieve. (85) {{U}}The operation can transform the lives of people who were previously doomed to a lifetime of cosmetic concealment.{{/U}} Though this application is widely used in America, there are in Britain only two hospitals offering the treatment, and one feels bound to warn patients that success is not certain. However, some 10 new centers will soon be opened. Britain, though, is one of the leaders in the laser treatment of bleeding peptic ulcers (胃溃疡) and this, combined with new medicines can mean ulcer treatment without conventional surgery. The laser is now being used to treat all kinds of illnesses in this country.

Itisjustaboutimpossibletoimaginehowbigtheuniverseis.Allwecandoistodescribecertainthingsweknowaboutitandhopethatthesegiveanideaofthescaleofthecosmos.Onclearnights,inplaceswherelightpollutionfromcitiesdoesnotmakeittoodifficulttoseethestars,wecanseemanypointsoflightsintheskywhicharelikeawhitecloudofstars.Thisisourhomegalaxy,theMilkyWay.ThereareprobablyasmanyormoregalaxiesintheuniverseastherearestarsintheMilkyWay.Someestimatessaythereare100billiongalaxies,eachwithmillionsofstars.Ourhomegalaxy,likeallothers,isstillformingstarsallthetimefromgasfloatinginspace.Mostgalaxiescontainnotonlystars,butalsoblackholes.Thesearethetinyremainsofstarsthathavecollapsedinspectacularexplosions.Gravityissointenseinblackholesthatlightbends,soitcan'tescapetobeseenfromoutside.ThemassofablackholeissoconcentratedthattheEarthwouldbereducedtothesizeofatennisball,whileremainingasheavyasitisnow.OurnearestneighboringgalaxyisAndromeda,whichistwomillionlightyearsaway.Alightyearisthedistancecoveredbylightduringoneyear,travelingat300,000kilometersasecond.Themostdistantgalaxiesthatwecansee,evenwithtelescopes,are10to12billionlightyearsaway.ThatmeansithastakenthelightfromthosegalaxiesthatamountoftimetoreachtheEarth.Whenthatlightleftthosegalaxies,theuniversewasstillquiteyoung.Theuniversebeganwithagiganticexplosion,calledtheBigBang.About14to15billionyearsago,somethingaboutthesizeofanatomsuddenlystartedexpandingdramatically.Outneartheedgeoftheuniverse,thereisstillCosmicMicrowaveBackground,whichistheheatleftoverfromtheBigBang.Todaytheuniverseisstillexpandinginaprocesscalledinflation.Anditmaygoonacceleratingoutwardsfromtheoriginalpointforever.Thelatesttheoriesshowthatonlyatinyproportionoftheuniverseismadeupofthekindofmatterthatwecansee;about15%ofitissomethingcalleddarkmatter,andtherest,about75%,isdarkenergy,whichisdrivingtheinflationoftheuniverse.Questions56-57:ReadthequestionsandthefourchoicesmarkedA.B.CandD,and,decidewhichisthebestchoiceaccordingtothepassage.

Cultural Attitudes towards Time According to anthropologist Irving Hallowell, there is no evidence that humans have an inborn sense of time. A person's temporal concepts are probably determined largely by culture. One study showed that infants, after a few days of listening to speech around them, will move their heads and limbs in rhythm with the speech they hear. As children develop, they adapt more fully to their temporal culture. This temporal cuhure influences language, music, poetry and dance. It also affectsrelationships. We tend to get along well with people who share our sense of time. One particular cultural attitude towards time is found in polychronic cultures. Some Mediterranean and southwest Asian Cultures are usually placed in this category. Such cultures emphasise relationships among people, flexible timing of appointments, and the careful completion of processes rather than strict schedules. Polychronic people seldom feel that time is being wasted. They tend to consider each activity valuable on its own, not just as part of a larger process. Polychronic people tend to have many projects going on at the same time, and they may shift frequently from one task to another. They change plans often. For polychronic people, work time is not clearly separable from personal time, so business meetings are considered a form of socialising. Monochronic cultures, on the other hand, are oriented towards tasks and schedules. Cultures usually considered monochromic can be found in northern Europe, North America, and some parts of eastern Asia. Monoehronic people feel that time is tangible and inflexible and that "time is money." They do one thing at a time and concentrate on each thing. Time and job commitments are very important to them and they tend to follow plans rigidly. Also, monochromic people clearly separate their work and personal time, and they place a high value on privacy. As you might expect, people from polychronic and monochromic cultures often misunderstand each other because of their different senses of time. For example, because a monochromic culture is highly compartmentalized, monochromic people tend to sequence conversations as well as tasks. They would not, for instance, interrupt a phone call in order to greet another person who just came into the room. In contrast, polychronic people are comfortable with having multiple conversations at the same time. They would consider it rude not to greet someone who entered during a phone conversation. Complete the summary below by choosing for each blank no more than three words from the passage. Cultures may have either a (71) , or a monochromic conception of time. Cultures with a polychromic view of time follow a (72) timetable. People from polychronic cultures tend to work on several (73) at the same time. On the other hand, people in (74) perceive events and tasks as being more compartmentalized. In this culture, jobs and even conversations should follow a certain (75) . Everything in these cultures seems inflexible, and has its own place and time.

When your kids are advised to "get an education" if they want to earn a decent income, they are told only half of the truth. What is really meant is that they should get just enough education to provide manpower, for the society in which they live, but not so much that they become an embarrassment to that society. Get a high school diploma, at least. Without that, you will be occupationally dead, unless your name happens to be George Bernard Shaw or Thomas Alva Edison, and you can drop out of grade school and still be successful. Get a college degree, if possible, because with a BA, you are on the launching pad. After that, though, you have to start putting on the brakes. If you go for a master's degree, make sure it is an MBA, and only from a first-rate university. Beyond this, the famous law of diminishing returns begins to take effect. Do you know, for instance, that long-haul truck drivers earn more per year than full professors? Yes, the average 2007 salary for truckers was $ 34,000, while a full professor only earned $ 33, 930. [79] A PhD is the highest degree you can get, but except in a few specialized fields such as physics and chemistry, where the degree can quickly be turned to industrial or commercial purposes, you are facing a dim future. There are far more PhDs unemployed or underemployed in this country than in any other. If you become a doctor of philosophy in English, history, anthropology, political science, languages or—-worst of all—philosophy, you are probably over-educated for our national demands—not for our needs, mind you, but for our demands. [80] Thousands of PhDs are selling shoes, driving cabs, waiting on tables and filling out fruitless applications month after month. Many of them end up taking a job in some high school or backwater college that pays much less than the janitor earns. The level of income is proportional to one's level of education only to a degree—to the degree, that is, that makes a person useful to the gross national product, but not to a degree that nobody can run much of a profit on such a person. Choose the best answers according to the passage.

What is the passage mainly about?

In this section, you will hear one long conversation. The conversation will be read only once. At the end of the conversation, there will be a one-minute pause. During the pause, you must read the four questions, each with 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. Questions 7-10 are based on the long conversation you have just heard.

In this section, you will hear five short news items. Each item will be read only once. After each item, 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.