Part ⅠListening Comprehension (40 min)

In Sections A, B and C you will hear everything ONCE ONLY. Listen carefully and then answer the questions that follow. Mark the correct response to each question on your Coloured Answer Sheet.

SECTION A TALK

Questions 1 to 5 refer to the talk in this section. At the end of the talk you w ill be given 15 seconds to answer each of the following five questions. Now listen to the talk.

1. The technology to make machines quieter ___.

A. has been in use since the 1930’s

B. has accelerated industrial production

C. has just been in commercial use

D. has been invented to remove all noises

2. The modern electronic anti-noise devices ___.

A. are an update version of the traditional methods

B. share similarities with the traditional methods

C. are as inefficient as the traditional methods

D. are based on an entirely new working principle

3. The French company is working on anti-noise techniques to be used in all EXCEPT ___.

A. streets

B. factories

C. aircraft

D. cars

4. According to the talk, workers in “zones of quiet” can ___.

A. be more affected by noise

B. hear talk from outside the zone

C. work more efficiently

D. be heard outside the zone

5. The main theme of the talk is about ___.

A. noise-control technology

B. noise in factories

C. noise-control regulations

D. noise-related effects

SECTION B INTERVIEW

Questions 6 to 10 are based on an interview. At the end of the interview you will be given 15 seconds to answer each of the following five questions. Now listen to the interview.

6. Employees in the US are paid for their time. This means that they are supposed to ___.

A. work hard while their boss is around

B. come to work when there is work to be done

C. work with initiative and willingness

D. work through their lunch break

7. One of the advantages of flexible working hours is that ___.

A. pressure from work can be reduced

B. working women can have more time at home

C. traffic and commuting problems can be solved

D. personal relationships in offices can be improved

8. On the issue of working contracts in the US, which statement is NOT correct?

A. Performance at work matters more than anything else.

B. There are laws protecting employees’ working rights.

C. Good reasons must be provided in order to fire workers.

D. Working contracts in the US are mostly short-term ones.

9. We can be assumed from the interview that an informal atmosphere might be found in ___.

A. small firms

B. major banks

C. big corporations

D. law offices

10. The interview is mainly about ___ in the USA.

A. office hierarchies

B. office conditions

C. office roles

D. office life

SECTION C NEWS BROADCAST

Question 11 is based on the following news. At the end of the news item, you will be given 15 seconds to answer the question. Now listen to the news.

11. Senator Bob Dole’s attitude towards Clinton’s anti-crime policy is that of ___.

A. opposition

B. support

C. ambiguity

D. indifference

Questions 12 and 13 are based on the following news. At the end of the news item, you will be given 30 seconds to answer the questions. Now listen to the news.

12. Japan and the United States are now ___.

A. negotiating about photographic material

B. negotiating an automobile agreement

C. facing serious problems in trade

D. on the verge of a large-scale trade war

13. The news item seems to indicate that the agreement ___.

A. will end all other related trade conflicts

B. is unlikely to solve the dispute once and for all

C. is linked to other trade agreements

D. is the last of its kind to be reached

Questions 14 and 15 are based on the following news. At the end of the news item, you will be given 30 seconds to answer the questions. Now listen to the news.

14. According to the news, the ice from Greenland provides information about ___.

A. oxygen

B. ancient weather

C. carbon dioxide

D. temperature

15. Which of the following statements is CORRECT?

A. Drastic changes in the weather have been common since ancient times.

B. The change in weather from very cold to very hot lasted over a century.

C. The scientists have been studying ice to forecast weather in the future.

D. The past 10,000 years have seen minor changes in the weather.

SECTION D NOTE-TAKING AND GAP-FILLING

Fill in each of the gaps with ONE word. You may refer to your notes. Make sure the word you fill in is both grammatically and semantically acceptable.

At present companies and industries like to sponsor sports events. Two reasons are put forward to explain this phenomenon. The first reason is that they get (1) ___ throughout the world. 1.___

The second reason is that companies and industries (2) ___ money, 2.___ as they get reductions in the tax they owe if they sponsor sports or arts activities.

As sponsorship is (3) ___, careful thinking is required in deciding 3.___ which events to sponsor.

It is important that the event to be sponsored (4) ___ the product (s) 4.___ to be promoted. That is, the right (5) ___ and maximum product coverage 5.___ must be guaranteed in the event.

Points to be considered in sports sponsorship. Popularity of the event

International sports events are big (6) ___ events, which get extensive 6.___ coverage on TV and in the press.

Smaller events attract fewer people. Identification of the potential audience

Aiming at the right audience is most important for smaller events.

The right audience would attract manufacturers of other related products like (7) ___, etc. 7.___ Advantages of sponsorship

Advantages are longer-term.

People are expected to respond (8) ___ to the products promoted. 8.___ And be more likely to buy them.

Advertising is (9) ___ the mind. 9.___

Sponsorship is better than straight advertising: a) less (10) ___ 10.___

b) tax-free