2012届松江区高三一模英语

松江区高三年级英语学科期末考试

（考试时间120分钟，满分150分） 2012.01

第I卷

I. Listening Comprehension

Section A[来源:https://www.wendangku.net/doc/544193270.html,]

Directions: In section A, you will hear ten short conversations between two speakers. At the end of each conversation, a question will be asked about what was said. The conversation and the question will be spoken only once. After you hear a conversation and the question about it, read the four possible answers on your paper, and decide which one is the best answer to the question you have heard.

1. A. Monday. B. Tuesday. C. Wednesday. D. Thursday.

2. A. 7:35. B. 7:45. C. 7:55. D. 8:05.

3. A. Under the tree. B. On the sand. C. Near the water. D. On the grass.

4. A. The weather was bad. B. It was neither too cold nor hot.

C. It was warm enough to go swimming.

D. It didn’t rain.

5. A. She won the first prize. B. She was glad to hear the news.

C. She did not attend the contest.

D. She had to help another Mary.

6. A. Teacher and student. B. Boss and secretary.

C. Doctor and patient.

D. Conductor and passenger.

7. A. Shopping. B. Study. C. Sport. D. Food.

8. A. Nurse. B. Journalist. C. Doctor. D. Lawyer.

9. A. She found there were too many characters in the novel.

B. She us ually can’t understand the context of the novel.

C. She has learned a lot from the novel.

D. She also found the whole story difficult to understand.

10. A. The woman is wearing long hair now.

B. The woman followed the man’s advice.

C. The man didn’t want the woman to have the hair cut.

D. The man didn’t care if the woman had her hair cut or not.

Section B

Directions: In section B, you will hear two short passages, and you will be asked three questions on each of the passages. The passages will be read twice but the questions will be spoken only once. When you hear a question, read the four possible answers on your paper and decide which one would be the best answer to the question you have heard.

Questions 11 through 13 are based on the following passage.

11. A. The crust. B. The ground. C. The plane. D. The boundary.

12.A. Two. B. Seventy. C. Seven. D. Twelve.

13.A. The east coast of North America. B. The west coast of North America.

C. The middle of the Atlantic Ocean.

D. The middle of the Pacific Ocean.

Questions 14 through 16 are based on the following passage.

14.A. 18 B. 21 C. 25 D. 20

15.A. America B. China C. Australia D. Canada

16.A. By making telephone calls B. By writing letters

C. By using the Internet

D. By sending photos

Section C

Directions: In section C, you will hear two longer conversations. The conversations will be read twice. After you hear each conversation, you are required to fulfill in the numbered blanks with the information you have heard. Write your answers on your answer sheet.

Blanks 17 through 20 are based on the following conversation.

Different Approaches in Learning

Listening to Lectures[来源学+科+网][来源学科网ZXX T he man’s approach:Take __17___ as he’s listening

The woman’s approach___18___ the lectures with a recorder Reading Books The man’s approach:___19___ the book first

The woman’s approach Read __20___ word of the book Complete the form. Write ONE WORD for each answer.

Blanks 21 through 24 are based on the following conversation.

What does the woman do? Wrapping ___21____. Sometimes working at

the ___22____.

What does the man do? ___23___, raking leaves, and pulling weeds. What is the man going to do next? ___24___

Complete the form. Write no more than THREE WORDS for each answer.

II. Grammar and Vocabulary

Section A

Directions: Beneath each of the following sentences there are four choices marked A, B, C and D. Choose the one answer that best completes the sentence.

25. China’s July 23 train accident has shaken citizens’ confidence _______ the high-speed

railways.

A. of

B. in

C. with

D. on

26. The real solution to the fuel shortage will have to be a new type of car, _______ that does not

use so much oil.

A. the one

B. what

C. one

D. which

27. _______ was not the way the event happened yesterday.

A. What reported

B. That the press reported

C. What the press reported

D. The press reported

28. A woman came into a clinic with a baby who she said _______ a sleeping pill.

A. has swallowed

B. had swallowed

C. to have swallowed

D. swallowing

29. _______ fashion modeling seems like a good profession, I would prefer to be a dentist.

A. Although

B. As

C. Unless

D. Once

30. _______ to last only during the 1889 Expo, the Eiffel Tower has turned out to be one of the

most popular attractions in the world.

A. Meaning

B. Meant

C. Having meant

D. Being meant

31. It was not until 1923 _______ to carry out such an immense project.

A. did the government decide

B. when did the government decide

C. that the government decided

D. when the government decided

32. To what extent will further scientific discoveries _______ the lengthening of human life?

A. make possible

B. make it possible

C. be made it possible

D. be made possible

33. _______ to radiation in the laboratory too often caused Marie Curie’s death.

A. Exposed

B. Had been exposed

C. Being exposed

D. After being exposed

34. The place at which the bridge is supposed to be built should be _______ the cross-river traffic

is the heaviest.

A. which

B. where

C. at which

D. /

35. The flu is believed _______ by viruses that like to reproduce in the cells inside the human nose

and throat.

A. to be caused

B. being caused

C. causing

D. to have caused

36. Not even a word _______ concerning these important matters.

A. mentioned he

B. he mentioned

C. did he mention

D. he mentions

37. It will be the first concern of the government to set a limit on the birthrate, _______ the

consequences may be.

A. what

B. which

C. whichever

D. whatever

38. When we left, the news came _______ the protests against the Egyptian president had broken

out.

A. which

B. what

C. that

D. whether

39. During World War II, he took many photos, _______ some captured the emotions of both the

soldiers and the civilians in war-torn Europe.

A. from them

B. of which

C. by which

D. among them

40. Zhang mainly talked about historical development of the reform while Yang focused on its

challenges, _______ most of the questions.

A. promote

B. promoting

C. having promoted

D. promoted

Section B

Directions: Complete the following passage by using the words in the box. Each word can only be used once. Note that there is one word more than you need.

A. foundation

B. altered

C. photographed

D. distinct

E. linked

F. randomly

G. matched

H. optimistic

I. excitedly

J. psychology

Seriously, It’s Good to Laugh at Yourself

Are you really, truly capable of laughing at yourself? If so, it’s a good sign that you have an __41__ personality and a good sense of humor, a new study suggests.

In the first-ever study of its kind, researchers from the University of California, Berkeley (加州大学伯克利分校) and the University of Zurich studied 70 __42__ students to judge their abilit y to laugh at themselves. The findings support what has long been believed: being able to

laugh at oneself is not only a distinct trait, but is also __43__ with having an upbeat personality and good mood and may be the __44__ for a good sense of humor.

Participants in the study were asked to rate their ability to see humor at their own expense. They also asked one or two friends to rate them on the same characteristic.

While the students were filling out the questionnaires on a computer, its camera secretly __45__ their faces. The pictures were then __46__ using software to make them look like distorted (扭曲的), funhouse-mirror images.

Afterward, the participants were asked to rate distorted photos of people they didn’t know. Their own distorted images were __47__ inserted into the sequence and that’s whe re the experiment really started. Participants were videotaped as they viewed the images to see whether they laughed or smiled at themselves. The v ideos were how real the participants’ expressions of humor were.

Eighty percent of participants truly smiled or laughed at least once when seeing their own silly images. However, those who claimed to have the ability to laugh at themselves and whose friends’ assessments __48__ their own truly laughed and smiled more often and more intensely than the others.

The s tudy found that people’s ability to laugh at themselves had no bearing on how much they laughed or smiled in response to the distorted images of others that suggests that the phenomenon is a __49__ characteristic, one linked with your own mood and personality, rather than the tendency to simply find silly images funny.

III. Reading Comprehension

Section A

Directions: For each blank in the following passage there are four words or phrases marked A, B, C and D. Fill in each blank with the word or phrase that best fits the context.

Endangered species are plants and animals that are in immediate danger of extinction. ___50___ is actually a normal process in the course of evolution. Since the formation of the earth, many more species have become extinct than those that ___51___ today. These species slowly disappeared because of changes of climate and their failure to ___52___ to such conditions as competition and predation (捕食). Since the 1600s, however, the process of extinction has greatly sped up as a result of both human population growth and technological effect on natural ecology systems.

Species become extinct or endangered for a number of reasons, but the primary cause is the ___53___ of natural habitats. Drainage of wetlands (沼泽地), cutting and clearing of forests, growth of cities, and highway and dam construction have seriously reduced ___54___ natural habitats. As the various surroundings become fragments, the remaining animal population crowd into ___55___ areas, causing further destruction of natural surroundings. Species in these small “islands” ___56___ contact with other populations of their own kind, thus reducing their genetic variation and making them less adaptable to environment changes.

Since the 1600s, ___57___ exploitation of animals for food and other products has caused many species to become extinct or endangered. ___58___ diseases and parasites(寄生虫) have also greatly reduced some species. Pollution is another important cause of their extinction.

Some private and government efforts have been organized to save ___59___ species. Laws were made in some countries in the early 1900s to protect wild animals from commercial trade

and killing. International ___60___ have been made. Its purpose is to restrict exploitation of wild animals and plants by ___61___ and restricting trade in certain species. How effective such laws will be in various countries, however, ___62___ enforcement and support by the people and the courts. Because of lack of law enforcement, the ___63___ of some segments (部门) of society to trade in endangered species, the activities of people who catch and kill animals ___64___ and dealers who supply the trade, the future of many species is in doubt in spite of legal protection.

50. A. Variety B. Extinction C. Creation D. Survival

51. A. evolve B. exist C. change D. develop

52. A. apply B. stick C. adapt D. expose

53. A. destruction B. extension C. expansion D. competition

54. A. continental B. invisible C. casual D. available

55. A. smaller B. milder C. spacious D. rural

56. A. make B. keep C. lose D. increase

57. A. experimental B. commercial C. agricultural D. financial

58. A. Promoted B. Investigated C. Enhanced D. Introduced

59. A. killed B. declining C. increasing D. some

60. A. efforts B. debates C. publications D. issues

61. A. delivering B. generating C. regulating D. promoting

62. A. sets up B. depends on C. calls on D. takes up

63. A. expectation B. evidence C. willingness D. complaint

64. A. considerately B. individually C. consciously D. illegally

Section B

Directions: Read the following three passages. Each passage is followed by several questions or unfinished statements. For each of them there are four choices marked A, B, C and D. Choose the one that fits best according to the information given in the passage you have just read.

(A)

There are many stereotypes (定型) about the character of people in various parts of the United States. In the Northeast and Midwest, people are said to be closed and private. In the South and West, however, they are often thought of as being more open and hospitable. Ask someone from St. Louis where the nearest sandwich shop is, and he or she will politely give you directions.

A New Yorker might eye you at first and after deciding it is safe to talk to you, might give you a rather unexpected explanation. A person from Ge orgia might be very kind about directing you and even suggest some different places to eat. A Texan just might take you to the place and treat you to lunch.

American stereotypes are abundant. New Englanders are often thought of as being friendly and helpful. Southerners are known for their hospitality and warmth. People from the western part of the United States are often considered very outgoing. These differences in character can be traced to different factors such as climate, living conditions, and historical development.

When travelling from place to place, Americans themselves are often surprised at the differing degrees of friendliness in the United States.

65. The main idea of the passage is _____________.

A. even Americans are surprised at the differences among themselves

B. stereotypes about people are not necessarily true

C. there are many reasons for the differences

D. there are many differences in character in different parts of the USA

66. Which of the following is true according to the passage?

A. People from the South are usually considered good.

B. New Yorkers are usually open with strangers.

C. The friendliest Americans travel from place to place.

D. Different parts have different customs and habits.

67. The differences lie in the following except ______ of the parts.

A. the weather

B. the names

C. the geography

D. the history

68. The word “abundant” in the second paragraph may probably mean _________.

A. strange

B. normal

C. curious

D. plentiful

(B)

Singapore Robotic Games 2011

20-22 January 2011

Science Centre, Singapore

The Annexe

CALL FOR ENTRIES

You are invited to participate in the coming Singapore Robotic Games 2011.

There are 14 exciting events to compete in.

Don’t miss out on the ROBOT OL YMPICS OF Singapore!!!

EVENTS AT A GLANCE

Legged Robot Marathon Race Micromouse competition (open) Pole Balancing Robot Competition Schools Robotic Competition Robot Colony Competition

Wall climbing Robot Race Underwater Robot Competition Legged Robot Obstacle Race Micromouse competition (JC/ITE) RC Sumo Robot Competition Open Category

Intelligent Robot Contest

Robot Soccer Competition Humanoid robot Competition

For more information, visit our website at: http://guppy.mpe,https://www.wendangku.net/doc/544193270.html,.sg/srg

In addition, there will be a public lecture by a distinguished and intern ationally renowned speaker. The main objectives of the Singapore Robotic Games are:

to give the general public an understanding and appreciation of robotics

to educate the general public on the things robots can do

to encourage innovation among young engineers

Singapore Robotic games 2011 is open to all, and international participation is encouraged.

For more information, please contact Marcelo H. Ang Jr., National University of Singapore, Tel (65) 6516-2555, Fax (65) 6779-1459

69. What else can people do besides participating in the competition during Singapore Robotic

Games 2011?

A. Carry out a research about robots.

B. Make a robot.

C. Visit the website.

D. Listen to a lecture.

70. Which of the following is TRUE?

A. Participants can enter for the competition through the website given.

B. Interested participants can contact Marcelo H. Ang Jr.

C. Singapore Robotic Games are open only to domestic students.

D. There are 17 events to compete in the Singapore Robotic Games.

71. One of the main purposes of organizing the Singapore Robotics Games is to ____.

A. help the public know more about the use of robots

B. invite only international participants

C. attract visitors to Science Center

D. select Singapore’s best robot among all the competitions

(C)

The World Health Organization says diseases are increasingly threatening the health of people around the world. This is due to the frequency and speed with which people and cargo are moving around the planet.

The report notes airlines carry more than two billion people a year. Those people who are sick take their diseases with them and pass the m on from one country to another in a matter of hours.

The Director-General of the World Health Organization says no country can protect itself from the invasion by a pathogen (病原体) incubating in an airline passenger or an insect hiding in a cargo hold.

“Changes in the way humanity inhabits the planet have created multiple opportunities for new diseases to emerge, and for older diseases to resurge or become established on new continents. Population growth, rapid urbanization, intensive farming practices, environmental degradation, and the misuse of antibiotics have placed enormous pressure on the microbial world.”

The report finds new diseases are now emerging at an unprecedented average rate of one per year. Since 1967, it says at least 39 new diseases have developed. These include HIV/AIDS, Ebola hemorrhagic fever, Marburg fever and SARS.

But, for Dr Chan, the biggest threat to people around the world is posed by a future pandemic of avian influenza, which, she says, could potentially kill millions of people.

“The sheer size of the problem, no single country or agency can handle the next pandemic single-handedly,” the Director-General said. “And, that calls for international collaboration, global solidarity and collective defense system…But, if we carried out the international health regulation…the world stands a better chance to defend itself against a future risk coming from outbreaks. And, I am confident that with better preparedness, we will mitigate the negative health impacts from outbreaks.”

Under the International Health Regulations, countries are supposed to report potentially dangerous health emergencies to the World Health Organization and to share information that could help control the disease.

The WHO report urges people to remain cautious in managing the risks and consequences of the international spread of polio and the newly emerging strain of extensively drug-resistant TB. It also warns about new health threats linked to potential terrorist attacks, chemical incidents and radio nuclear accidents.

72. According to the WTO report, the international spread of diseases attributes to _______.

A. environmental degradation

B. the misuse of antibiotics

C. the frequent transportation of people and cargo around the world

D. population growth and rapid urbanization

73. Whi ch of the following is NOT TRUE according to the WHO report?

A. New diseases are now emerging at an unprecedented average rate of one per year.

B. Some country can protect itself from the invasion by an insect hiding in a cargo hold.

C. No country can protect itself from the invasion by a pathogen incubating in an airline

passenger.

D. Those sick people in airplanes take their diseases with them and spread them from one

country to another immediately.

74. What can be inferred from the seventh paragraph?

A. Handling the next pandemic requires international collaboration.

B. Without better preparedness, we will mitigate the negative health impact from outbreaks.

C. If we implemented the international health regulation, we surely could defend ourselves

against the next pandemic.

D. Any single country or agency can handle the next pandemic single-handedly.

75. Wh at’s Dr Chan’s attitude towards handling the next pandemic under global solidarity?

A. Pessimistic.

B. Indifferent.

C. Negative.

D. Optimistic.

Section C

Directions: Read the following text and choose the most suitable heading from A-F for each paragraph. There is one extra heading which you do not need.

A. The country with the largest population by 2050

B. Conditions of rapid growth in population

C. The factors considered in the population study

D. A new research on world population by 2050

E. The country unlike other developed countries in population growth

F. Two strikingly different countries in population

76. __________________

New research shows that Earth will have more than 9,000 million people by 2050. The world population is currently estimated at 6,400million. The research is from the Population Reference Bureau (PRB), a private group based in Washington. It says most growth will take place in developing countries in Africa and western Asia.

77. __________________

India is expected to pass China as the world’s most populated nation. By the middle of the century, the report says, India will have over 1,150 million citizens, an increase of 50 percent. China currently has 1,300 million people. The PRB says the population should increase about 10 percent by 2050.

78. __________________

Most industrial nations will see a drop in their population. The only big exception is expected to be the United States. The report says the United States will remain the third biggest nation. The population is close to 300 million now. It is expected to reach 420 million. The report says this will be because of immigration and low death rates among babies.

79. __________________

The study is based on information from governments and the United Nations. Researcher

Carl Haub wrote the report. He explained infant death rates, life expectancy, birth rates and the age structure of nations. The study also considered family planning use and, for the first time, rates of AIDS.

80. __________________

Mr. Haub says most growth will take place in countries with young populations and traditionally large families. He points to Nigeria and Japan as two nations that are moving in opposite directions in terms of population. In Nigeria, almost half the people are under the age of 15, and Nigeria women generally give birth about six times during their lives. By comparison, the average Japanese woman has one child. And today about 20% of Japanese are over the age of 65. Mr. Haub expects the Japanese populat ion to decrease by 20%. He estimates that the population of Nigeria will increase by more than 120% by the middle of the century.

Section D

Directions: Read the passage carefully. Then answer the questions or complete the statements in the fewest possible words.

Bringing up children is hard work, and you are often to blame for any bad behavior of your children. If so, Judith Rich Harris has good news for you. Parents, she argues, have no important long-term effects on the development of the personality of their children. Far more important are their playground friends and neighborhood. Ms. Harris takes to hitting the assumptions, which has dominated developmental psychology for almost half a century.

Ms. Harris’s attack on the developmentalists’ “nurture” argument looks likely to reinforce doubts that the profession was already having. If parents matter, why is it that two adopted children, reared in the same home, are no more similar in personality than two adopted children in separate homes? Or that a pair of identical twins, reared in the same home, are no more alike than a pair of identical twins reared in different homes?

Difficult as it is to track the precise effects of parental upbringing, it may be harder to measure the exact influence of the peer group in childhood and adolescence. Ms. Harris points to how children from immigrant homes soon learn not to speak at school in the way their parents speak. But acquiring a language is surely a skill, rather than a characteristic of the sort developmental psychologists hunt for. Certainly it is different from learning to be honest or hard-working or generous. Easy as it may be to prove that parents have little impact on those qualities, it will be hard to prove that peers have vastl y more.

Moreover, mum and dad surely cannot be got rid of completely. Young adults may, as Ms. Harris argues, be keen to appear like their peers. But even in those early years, parents have the power to open doors: they may initially choose the peers with whom their young associate, and pick that influential neighborhood. Moreover, most people suspect that they come to resemble their parents more in middle age, and that people’s child rearing habits may be formed partly by what their parents did. So the balance of influences is probably complicated, as most parents already suspected without being able to demonstrate it scientifically. Even if it turns out that the genes they pass on and the friends their children play with matter as much as affection, discipline and good example, parents are not completely off the hook.

(Answer the questions or complete the statements in NO MORE THAN TEN WORDS)

81. Why do people think it is not easy for parents to bring up their children?

82. The two examples in Para.2 are mentioned to show that ___________________________.

83. What do the majority of the people suspect when the children reach middle age?

84. According to current developmental psychology, parents_____________.

第II卷

I. Translation

Directions: Translate the following sentences into English, using the words given in the brackets.

1. 他把大部分业余时间用于陪伴住院的孤老。（devote）

2. 任何一个不经历几次失败的人几乎体会不到成功的喜悦。（Whoever）

3. 生命就是一次旅程，在这次旅程中，机遇和挑战并存。(journey)

4. 既然你对我们的话题不感兴趣，我认为没有必要继续我们的讨论了。（need）

5. 只有当你失去东西时，才会觉得它是多么的宝贵，所以要学会珍惜所拥有的。（Only when）

Ⅱ. Guided Writing

Directions: Write an English composition in 120 - 150 words according to the instructions given below in Chinese.

人人渴望幸福，但由于忙于学业或工作，我们忽视了幸福。你认为幸福是什么？结合生活中的事例阐述你对幸福的理解。

松江区高三年级英语期末试卷

2012.01

参考答案

I. Listening Comprehension

Section A

1-----10 CCBDC ACBDC

Section B

11-----13 ACB 14----16 BCC

Section C

17. notes 18. Record 19. Skim 20. every

21. fruits and vegetables 22. checkout counter

23. cutting grass 24. plant trees

II. Grammar and Vocabulary

Section A

25----29 BCCBA 30-----34 BCACB 35-----40 ACDCB B

Section B 41.H 42.J 43.E 44.A 45.C 46.B 47.F 48.G 49.D

III. Reading Comprehension

Section A 50-----54 BBCAD 55-----59 ACBDB 60-----64 ACBCD

Section B

65-----68 DABD

69-----71 DBA

72-----75 CBAD

Section C76-----80 DAECF

Section D

81. Because they’re often blamed for of their children’s bad behavior.

82. parents don’t have much /important /effect on children’s personality./children’s

development/children

83. they will resemble their parents

84. have some effects on the children’s life

第II卷

I.Translation

1. He/devotes devoted most of his spare time to accompanying lonely old people at the

hospital.

2. Whoever has never experienced several failures can hardly feel the happiness of success.

3. Life is a journey on which opportunities and challenges exist together.

4. Since /Now that you are not interested in our topic, I don’t think there is any need to

continue our discussion.

5. Only when you lose something will you find how precious it is, so you should learn to

value/cherish what you have.

Ⅱ. Guided Writing

听力文字

I. Listening Comprehension (30%)

Section A Short Conversations

Directions: In section A, you will hear ten short conversations between two speakers. At the end of each conversation, a question will be asked about what was said. The conversation and the question will be spoken only once. After you hear a conversation and the question about it, read the four possible answers on your paper, and decide which one is the best answer to the question you have heard.

1. M: I’m sorry, but I can’t make it tomorrow.

W: It’s all right. What about the day after? I can wait until Friday. I expect to read it on Friday before 5. Q: What day is it?

2. M: What time does the train leave?

W: At 8:30. We have 35 minutes to get there.

Q: What time is it now?

3. M: Shall we sit down there on the sand near the water?

W: No, I would rather stay here on the grass under the big tree.

Q: Where does the man want to sit?

4. M: How was the weather during your holiday?

W: Not too bad. It wasn’t warm enough for swimming, but at least it didn’t rain, and I would rather have it a bit cool than too hot.

Q: What was the weather during her holiday?

5. M: Congratulations, Mary. I heard you won the first prize at the speech contest.

W: There must be another Mary. I wasn’t there

Q: What does the woman mean?

6. M: Mrs. Johnson, would it be convenient to see you today? I have trouble with my research paper.

W: Yes, my office hours are from 10:00 to noon. We’ll talk about it.

Q: What is the relationship between the two speakers?

7. M: How did Jack do in the 1000-meter race?

W: Well, he had a good start, but he quickly fell behind.

Q: What are they talking about?

8. M: Good afternoon, Doctor Smith. I’m with the local newspaper. Would you mind if I ask you a few

questions?

W: Not at all. Go ahead, please.

Q: What is the man’s occupation?

9. M: I had much difficulty in understanding the novel.

W: I share your feeling. Who can understand such a complicated process of the story?

Q: What does the woman imply?

10. W: I wish my hair was longer.

M: Yes, pity. you had it cut. If only you’d listened to me.

Q: What conclusion can we draw from the conversation?

Section B Passages

Directions: In section B, you will hear two short passages, and you will be asked three questions on each of the passages. The passages will be read twice but the questions will be spoken only once. When you hear a question, read the four possible answers on your paper and decide which one would be the best answer to the question you have heard.

Questions 11 through 13 are based on the following passage.

The earth is composed of several layers. The top layer of the earth is called the ear th’s crust. The earth’s crust is divided into seven sections. These sections are called plates.

When two plates push against each other, or when two plates rub against each other, an earthquake will occur. An earthquake causes the ground above the plate to shake. The shaking is caused by the motion of two plates.

Earthquakes are likely to happen at the bou ndaries of the earth’s plates. Each of these plates is about 70 kilometers thick. Let’s take a look at the general boundaries of on e of these seven major plates.

Take the North American plate for an example. The left boundary of this plate is the west coast of North America and the east boundary of this plate is through the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. That is,

this plate extends from west coast of North America to the middle of the Atlantic Ocean.

(Listen to it again)

Questions:

11. What is the top layer of the earth called?

12. How many major sections is the earth's crust divided into?

13. Which of the following is the left boundary of the North American plate?

Questions14 through 16 are based on the following news.

Most students in the UK leave school at the age of 18 and go on to study for three years in university, but in recent years many students have chosen to take a one-year break between finishing school and starting university. This period is called a gap year and is a time when British students can visit foreign countries.

Thousands of gap-year travelers leave Britain every year for Australia, which is their most popular destination. While some volunteers travel for charity work in developing countries, others enjoy travelling through many countries.

An important part of any gap year is learning about the culture and society of other countries. It can be very important to learn about local customs in order to avoid a culture clash.

The development of the Internet makes it easier than before to make contact with their friends and families at home. Many gap-year students even use photo-sharing websites to show others their adventures.

China is also becoming a popular destination for British students. Gap-year activities in China might include learning kung fu or teaching English.

Perhaps you’ll meet some British gap-year travelers. Don’t forget to practice your English with them.

(Listen to it again)

Questions:

14. How old are most students in the UK when they leave university?

15. Where do most gap-year students choose to travel?

16. How do most gap-year travelers contact their parents?

Section C Longer Conversations

Directions: In section C, you will hear two longer conversations. The conversations will be read twice. After you hear each conversation, you are required to fill in the numbered blanks with the information you have heard. Write your answers on your answer sheet.

Blanks 17 through 20 are based on the following conversation.

W: Learning in college is quite different from learning in high school.

M: Yeah, particularly the lectures. Have you got any special approach for listening to lectures?

W. Well, I’m going to us e a cassette recorder and record them all.

M: What! Are you allowed to?

W: Sure. Lots of people do it nowadays. It means you can listen to the lectures all over again, and make really good notes.

M: I couldn’t do that. I like to take notes as I’m listening. I usually find all the important points. W: It seems you carefully listen to the lectures. But how about reading?

M: Well, reading is different, of course. My approach is to skim the book first to see what’s important and what isn’t. It saves hours of ti me.

W: But what if you miss something?

M: You don’t mean you’re going to read every word, do you?

W: Well, that’s what I usually do.

M: Well, that’s up to you, but I think you’re crazy.

(Listen to it again)

Blanks 21 through 24 are based on the following conversation.

M: Hi, Jenny. Where are you going?

W: Oh, I’m on my way home from work.

M: I didn’t know you had a job.

W: Yeah. I worked part time at a supermarket.

M: What do you do there?

W: I work in the produce section, trimming and wrapping fresh fruits and vegetables. I also stock shelves. Sometimes when it really gets busy, I work at the checkout counter. Have you got a job, Peter?

M: Yeah. I do yard work for people, you know, cutting grass, raking leaves, pulling weeds, things like that.

W: I’d like to do that. It must be nice to work outdoors.

M: Sometimes it is., except when it rains or snows or to get too hot or too cold or….

W: Ha, ha. I guess every job has its drawbacks. There are times when I get pretty tired of carrying things around at my job. But a job is a job. Gotta earn money for school.

M: Me, too. Tuition sure is high, isn’t it? Well, I’d better get going. I’ve got to plant some trees for my neighbours this afternoon.

W: Well, don’t work too hard. Take it easy.

M: You, too. It was great seeing you. Jenny!

(Listen to it again)