Part I Listening Comprehension (50 points, 2 points / per)

Section A

In this section, you will hear several news reports. At the end of each news report, you will hear two or three questions. Both the news report and the questions will be spoken only once. After you hear a question, you must choose the best answer from the four choices marked A), B), C) and D).

News Item One

Question 1 to 2 are based on the recording you have just heard.

News Item Two

Question 3 to 4 are based on the recording you have just heard.

News Item Three

Question 5 to 6 are based on the recording you have just heard.

Section B

In this section, you will hear several conversations. At the end of each conversation, one or more questions will be asked about what was said. Both the conversations and the questions will be spoken only once. After each question there will be a pause. During the pause, you must read the four choices marked A), B), C) and D), and decide which is the best answer.

Conversation One

Question 7 to 10 are based on the recording you have just heard.

Conversation Two

Question 11 to 14 are based on the recording you have just heard.

Section C

In this section, you will hear several short passages. At the end of each passage, you will hear some questions. Both the passage and the questions will be spoken only once. After you hear a question, you must choose the best answer from the four choices marked A), B), C) and D).

Passage One

Question 15 to 18 are based on the recording you have just heard.

Passage Two

Question 19 to 22 are based on the recording you have just heard.

Section D

In this section, you will hear recordings of lectures or talks followed by some questions. The recordings will be played only once. After you hear a question, you must choose the best answer from the four choices marked A), B), C) and D).

Question 23 to 25 are based on the recording you have just heard.

Part II Reading Comprehension (20 points, 2 points / per)

Directions: There are two passages in this section. Each passage is followed by some questions or unfinished statements For each of them there are four choices marked A), B), C) and D). You should decide on the best choice.

Passage One

In 2020, the Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to the World Food Program (WFP).

Why a Nobel Prize for the WFP, and why now? In 2019, the WFP assisted nearly 100 million people in 88 countries. It is the safety net for those who falloff the edge of existence. It is a response to solving the problem of food instability. Its Nobel Prize reminds us all of the moral hazard in imagining that the poor and vulnerable are somebody else’s problem.

The WFP has been around since 1961 and has been the global coordinator of nationally based efforts to avoid disasters with food aid. Despite decades of effort to eliminate hunger, the latest estimate is that about 11% of people on the planet (about 820 million people) are suffering daily undernourishment. Progress at reducing undernourishment has stopped despite gains through the 1990s and 2000s.

Developed countries sometimes offer food and aid to developing ones, but at a price. One American philosopher stated that addressing the needs of the poor and vulnerable is about more than money—it is mostly about creating conditions under which prosperity and opportunity can thrive. When aid is offered with heavy conditions attached, like loan repayment or food for resources, it often widens the gap between rich and poor and sustains the old world order. This is why the work of the WFP is so vital.

The scientific community, however, can provide a helping hand to the WFP. By sharing knowledge of agriculture and climate with peers in countries most vulnerable to poverty and hunger, scientists can help reduce these problems. By making its voice heard, science can lead by example. The ability to overcome food shortages that must be built into some of the poorest countries will not come from loans from wealthy countries, which may have food problems of their own, or world economic institutions. This ability will be built upon self-confident people using open and shared scientific knowledge to pull themselves out of their misery.

26. What does the WFP’s winning of the Nobel Peace Prize make us realize?

27. What do we learn about the WFP’s effort to eliminate hunger?

28. What will happen when food aid is offered at a price?

29. How can scientists help cope with poverty and hunger?

30. What message does the author try to convey at the end of the passage?

Passage Two

Interactive television advertising, which allows viewers to use their remote controls to click on advertisements, has been pushed for years. Nearly a decade ago it was predicted that viewers of “Friends,” a popular situation comedy, would soon be able to purchase a sweater like Jennifer Aniston’s with a few taps on their remote control. “It’s been the year of interactive television advertising for the last ten or twelve years,” says Colin Dixon of a digital-media consultancy.

So, the news that Cablevision, an American cable company, was rolling out interactive advertisements to all its customers on October 6th was greeted with some skepticism. During commercials, an overlay will appear at the bottom of the screen, prompting viewers to press a button to request a free sample or order a catalog. Cablevision 8 hopes to allow customers to buy things with their remote controls early next year.

Television advertising could do with a boost. Spending fell by 10% in the first half of the year. The popularization of digital video recorders has caused advertisers to worry that their commercials will be skipped. Some are turning to the Internet, which is cheaper and offers concrete measurements like click-through rates—especially important at a time when marketing budgets are tight. With the launch of interactive advertising, “many of the dollars that went to the Internet will come back to the TV,” says David Kline of Cablevision. Or so the industry hopes.

In theory, interactive advertising can engage viewers in a way that 30-second spots do not. Unilever recently ran an interactive campaign for its Axe deodorant (除臭剂), which kept viewers engaged for more than three minutes on average.

The amount spent on interactive advertising on television is still small. Magna, an advertising agency, reckons it will be worth about $138 million this year. That falls far short of the billions of dollars people once expected it to generate. But DirecTv, Comcast and Time Warner Cable have all invested in it. A new effort led by Canoe Ventures, a coalition of leading cable providers, aims to make interactive advertising available across America later this year. BrightLine iTV, which designs and sells interactive ads, says interest has surged: it expects its revenues almost to triple this year. BSkyB, Britain’s biggest satellite television service, already provides 9 million customers with interactive ads.

Yet there are doubts about whether people watching television, a “lean back” medium, crave interaction. Click-through rates have been high so far (around 3-4%, compared with less than 0.3% online), but that may be a result of the novelty. Interactive ads and viewers might not go well together.

31. What does Colin Dixon mean by saying “It’s been the year of interactive television advertising for the last ten or twelve years” (Lines 3—4, Para.1)?

32. What is the public’s response to Cablevision’s planned interactive TV advertising program?

33. What is the impact of the wide use of digital video recorders on TV advertising?

34. What do we learn about Unilever’s interactive campaign?

35. How does the author view the hitherto high click-through rates?

Part III Vocabulary (30 points, 2 points / per)

Directions: There are a number of incomplete sentences in this part. For each sentence, there are four choices marked A), B), C) and D). Choose the ONE that best completes the sentence.

36. Any changes to its healthcare coverage can have a ( ) effect.

37. Greater diversity can broaden our conceptions of art, history, music, language studies and other arts and ( ).

38. They take touching as a cultural ( ) in social interactions.

39. I have narrowed it down ( ) one of two employees, both of whom work in the company.

40. They offer suggestions on a ( ) of issues such as what to do if you are having problems with your computer.

41. The workers have still not been for their loss of wages.

42. The media’s coverage of the election has been ( ) from the very beginning.

43. Don’t take any day, moment, person, experience for ( ).

44. As the world population is rapidly growing, the supply of ( ) land is shrinking.

45. From my ( ) , I don’t think we should pursue renewables simply because they might create more jobs.

46. His lack of ( ) in running such a large factory led to serious production problems.

47. Per ( ) income in Norway has grown steadily over the past decade.

48. Your manager will ( ) with potential buyers, keeping you informed of offers and how the sale is progressing

49. The National Basketball ( ) negotiates TV rights for important games.

50. The government should do more to promote ( ) agriculture.