2006 National English Contest for College Students (Level B - Sample)

Part I Listening Comprehension (25 minutes, 30 points)

Section A Short Conversations (6 points)

Directions: In this section, you will hear 6 short conversations. At the end of each conversation, a question will be asked about what was said. Both the conversation and the question will be read 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. Then mark the corresponding letter on the Answer Sheet with a single line through the centre.

1. A. Doctor and patient. B. Manager and clerk.

C. Father and daughter.D. Teacher and student.

2. A. Yesterday morning. B. During the weekend.

C. Tomorrow afternoon. D. On Friday afternoon.

3. A. He visited New York. B. He went to a hospital.

C. He attended a meeting. D. He stayed at home.

4. A. The woman enjoyed it, but her husband didn’t.

B. Both the man and the woman enjoyed it.

C. Neither the man nor the woman enjoyed it.

D. The woman didn’t enjoy it, but her husband did.

5. A. Because she has to attend another party.

B. Because she has to type her paper.

C. Because she has to go over her lessons.

D. Because she has to correct her essay.

6. A. The man. B. The woman.

C. Both. D. Neither.

Section B Long Conversation (4 points)

Directions: In this section, you will hear 1 conversation. At the end of the conversation, 4 questions will be asked about what was said. Both the conversation 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. Then mark the corresponding letter on the Answer Sheet with a single line through the centre.

7. A. Eggs. B. Diets. C. Protein. D. Exercises.

8. A. One; Two; One. B. Two; One; One.

C. One; One; Two. D. Two; One; Two.

9. A. Because she believed eggs were not very expensive and also contained a lot of protein.

B. Because she thought her heart was strong and eating too much protein could not hurt her heart.

C. Because she had been told that eating eggs could help her to have a fine figure.

D. Because she liked eggs so much that she could not stand if she didn’t eat eggs every day.

10. A. One week. B. One month.

C. Two days. D. Three days.

Section C News Items (10 points)

Directions: In this section, you will hear 10 short pieces of news from BBC or VOA. After each news item and question, there will be a pause. During the pause, you must read 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.

11. A. Commerce. B. Education.

C. Industry.

12. A. By observing the oldest stars in the universe.

B. By studying the nearest stars that can be seen.

C. By fixing the age of the oldest stars in the Galaxy.

13. A. They were asking for the right to stay in Paris.

B. They were not allowed to enter it legally.

C. They were afraid of being taken to a hospital.

14. A. One hundred. B. Only one.

C. Four hundred.

15. A. 15 million dollars. B. 50 million dollars.

C. 5 million dollars.

16. A. In February. B. In March.

C. In April.

17. A. Under the age of four. B. Under the age of five.

C. Under the age of six.

18. A. No. B. Yes. C. Not mentioned.

19. A. In outer space. B. In the Amazon basin.

C. In the vehicle factory.

20. A. Norway. B. Saudi Arabia. C. Russia.

Section D Passages (10 points)

Directions: In this section, you will hear 3 short passages. At the end of each passage, you will hear some questions. After you hear a question, you must choose the best answer from the four choices marked A, B, C and D. Then mark the corresponding letter on the Answer Sheet with a single line through the centre.

Passage One

Questions 21 to 24 are based on the passage you have just heard.

21. A. A school teacher. B. A bus driver.

C. A kind presenter. D. A tourist guide.

22. A. A house visiting.

B. Some pictures taken.

C. Visiting the sights.

D. A bird watching.

23. A. On a bus. B. On a plane.

C. On a ship. D. On a train.

24. A. In three minutes. B. In twenty minutes.

C. In thirteen minutes. D. In thirty minutes.

Passage Two

Questions 25 to 27 are based on the passage you have just heard.

25. A. A medical conference. B. A job interview.

C. A business negotiation. D. A celebration.

26. A. No, he didn’t. B. Not mentioned.

C. Not sure yet. D. Yes, he did.

27. A. Because he was a white man.

B. Because he was inexperienced.

C. Because he was too lazy.

D. Because he was a black man.

Questions 28 to 30 are based on the passage you have just heard.

28. A. Three particular groups of learners.

B. The importance of business English.

C. English for specific purposes.

D. Features of English for varied purposes.

29. A. English learning Beginners.

B. Intermediate English learners.

C. Learners of special English.

D. English majors in colleges.

30. A. Professionals. B. College students.

C. Beginners. D. Intermediate learners.

Part II Vocabulary and Structure (5 minutes, 10 points)

Directions:There are 10 incomplete sentences in this part. For each blank there are four choices marked A, B, C and D. Choose the one that best completes the sentence. Then mark the corresponding letter on the Answer Sheet with a single line through the centre.

31. It takes a ________ time for me to prepare for the dinner,but the results are so good that it’s worth the________.

A. short; force B. long; effort

C. many; labor D. much; pains

32. Rage, shame, and grief ________ in her breast. Under this circumstance, she needs to stay in control of her emotions.

A. differ B. divert C. alternate D. alter

33. Her performance in the last scene was ________ .

A. fairly describable B. quite remarkable

C. rather notable D. very noticeable

34. I promised to ________ her daughter next week when she’s on business.

A. take off B. look for C. look after D. take after

35. He wouldn’t want ________ of his parents to know that he has a girlfriend.

A. either B. any C. neither D. none

36. Our boss enjoys swimming, but ________ he avoids a crowded pool.

A. on the contrary B. on the face of it

C. as a rule D. as a result

37. ________ you told me earlier, I ________ something about it.

A. Had; could have done B. Have; can have done

C. Had; should have done D. Have; must have done

38. Only after ________ five times, ________ answer me.

A. telling me; she did B. be spoken; did she

C. being asked; did she D. saying; did she

39. He has had ________ many falls ________ he’s black and blue all over.

A. too; to B. so; that C. quite; that D. as; as

40. What the teacher said was so ________ that her students were all ________.

A. interesting; moving B. inspiring; encouraged

C. excited; enjoyed D. bored; aspiring

Part III Situational Dialogues (5 minutes, 5 points)

Directions: There are 5 incomplete dialogues in this part. For each blank there are four choices marked A, B, C and D. Choose the one that best completes the dialogue. Then mark the corresponding letter on the Answer Sheet with a single line through the centre.

41． Bob: Wow, look, all the things are on sale.

Jane: Yes, look here, this shirt is 50% off. _____________

Bob: And look at these shoes. They are 30% off the normal price.

A. I’d like to buy a skirt.

B. There are some real bargains.

C. Are the prices reasonable?

D. These shoes are the same as mine.

42. James: Can I pay by credit card or euro-cheque?

Receptionist:___________________

James: I’ll pay by credit card, then.

Receptionist: That’s fine. I hope you enjoyed your stay here.

A. Here’s your bill, please take it.

B. Sorry, we don’t take euro-cheque.

C. You can pay by euro-cheque.

D. Yes, we take both of them.

43. Merv: Are these your sons, Jean? I haven’t seen them for ages.

Jean: Yes, that photo was taken a few months ago.

Merv: John hasn’t changed a bit. He’s the very image of his father, isn’t he?

Jean: Yes, he is. ________ That’s for sure.

A. He takes up with his father.

B. He really likes his father.

C. He looks after his father.

D. He takes after his father.

44. Tom: Which tie shall I wear for the interview? Do you think my blue silk one would look all right?

Jane: ________ I’d wear something with a small pattern

—squares or spots, something like that.

Tom: ________ I think I’ll wear the plain one.

A. Yes, that’s all right.; I agree with you.

B. No, I don’t think so.; That’s a good idea.

C. A bit boring!; Oh, sorry, I don’t know.

D. Good choice!; Thank you for your advice.

45． Helena: Oh, welcome, come in, please.

Jack: ________ And here’s a small gift. Let me wish you happy every day.

Helena: Thank you. Oh, what a beautiful birthday card!

A. Many happy returns.

B. Enjoy yourself.

C. Hoping you’ll be well soon!

D. I wish you the best of luck!

Part IV IQ Test (5 minutes, 5 points)

Directions: There are 5 IQ Test questions in this part. For each question there are 4 choices marked A, B, C and D. Mark your answer on the Answer Sheet with a single line through the centre.

46. Which number should replace the question mark?

?

47. The monkey and the weight each weigh the same amount.

The monkey begins to climb the rope. Which of the following will happen?

A. The monkey and the weight will reach the pulley wheel at the same time.

B. The weight will get the pulley wheel first.

C. The monkey will get the pulley wheel first.

D. The monkey and the weight will reach the pulley wheel at different times.

48. I went into a furniture shop in order to buy a picture. The salesman told me— “The picture is five times the cost of that ashtray, the chair is 30 times the cost of the ashtray, the table is 4 times the cost of the chair, you can buy the lot for ￡312.” What was the price of the picture?

A. ￡5. B. ￡10. C. ￡15. D. ￡20.

49. Can you work out this riddle?

A. A scarf. B. A glove. C. A bag. D. A needle.

50. Sharon had received a telegram from the Queen to congratulate her on reaching her 100th birthday. Sharon’s sisters,Marjorie and Norah, are seen in the front-page photo of the local newspaper looking at the telegram. The next day,Sharon noticed something unusual about the headline. Can you spot it out?

A. The local newspaper headline was written by the author incorrectly.

B. The headline can be read backwards and forwards as the same thing.

C. The headline didn’t say it was the Queen who sent a telegram to Sharon.

D. The editor didn’t put Sharon’s sisters, Marjorie and Norah into the headline.

Part V Reading Comprehension (25 minutes, 40 points)

Section A Multiple Choice (5 points)

Directions: There is 1 passage in this part with 5 questions or unfinished statements. For each of them, there are 4 choices marked A, B, C and D. You should decide on the best choice. Then mark the corresponding letter on the Answer Sheet with a single line through the centre.

Questions 51 to 55 are based on the following passage.

The image most people have of President Abraham Lincoln is of a tall, thin, bearded man. Before he was elected President, however, Lincoln did not wear a beard. He grew his beard as the result of a letter he received from an eleven-year-old girl!

In 1860, a clean-shaven Lincoln was running for the presidency. Grace Bedell of Westfield, New York, admired Lincoln very much, but she didn’t like the way he looked. Afraid that he might not win the election, Grace wrote him a letter stating that if Lincoln grew a beard, “You would look a great deal better for your face is so thin.”

Lincoln wrote back to Grace, saying that if he started growing whiskers now, people might think it was a silly affectation done on purpose. The beardless Lincoln won the election—and he began to grow a beard shortly afterward! The next year, Lincoln visited Grace Bedell’s hometown and told the citizens that he had grown a beard because of a girl from the town. He asked to see Grace, and, to everyone’s delight, he gave the surprised girl a kiss!

Questions:

51. The word “affectation” in the last paragraph means______ .

A. great liking for someone

B. a man or a woman’s hairdo

C. thing done for effect

D. enjoyment for oneself

52. Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?

A. Before Abraham Lincoln was elected President, he did not have a smile.

B. Before Abraham Lincoln was elected President, he did not look well.

C. Before Abraham Lincoln was elected President, he did not have a beard.

D. Before Abraham Lincoln was elected President, he did not look thin.

53. Grace Bedell suggested that Lincoln grow a beard because she thought it would make him look________.

A. much better B. more mature

C. much wiser D. more serious

54. From the story, we can learn that________.

A. with regard to the election, Lincoln’s appearance was important

B. with regard to the election, Lincoln’s appearance improved his chances

C. with regard to the election, Lincoln’s appearance made him win

D. with regard to the election, Lincoln’s appearance didn’t matter

55. The best title for the passage is ________.

A. A Successful Presidential Election

B. A Girl’s Letter to the President

C. A Story about Abraham Lincoln

D. Why Abraham Lincoln Grew a Beard

Section B Yes/No/Not Given (5 points)

Directions: In this part, you will have 5 minutes to go over the following passage quickly and answer the questions on the Answer Sheet. For questions 56—60, mark

Y (for Yes) if the statement agrees with the information given in the passage;

N (for No) if the statement contradicts the information given in the passage;

NG (for Not Given) if the information is not given in the passage.

Questions 56 to 60 are based on the following passage.

“Cama” is Lulu Skidmore’s name for the new animal. Dr. Lulu Skidmore is technical director of the Camel Reproduction Centre in Dubai where Rama, the first cama in the world, was born. Cama’s mother is a llama from a Dubai zoo, her father is a camel from the Centre.

Llamas, one-hump dromedaries or Arabian camels, and two-hump Bactrian camels belong to the Camelidae family. They have a common ancestor but now live in totally different places: camels live in dry hot places in the desert regions of Asia and Northern Africa and can live without water for several days. They have short ears and a short tail.

Llamas live in the Andes in South America where temperatures can be -20° Celsius. They have long ears, a long tail and wool which protects them from the cold. They can walk in the mountains and carry heavy loads for 12 hours.

Young Rama has physical characteristics from both parents: the long ears, long tail and prized wool of a llama, and the size of a camel. This is good news: it can give more wool.

It is early days and there are many unanswered questions: can it live in mountains or only in deserts? Can it carry heavy loads and live without water for several days? The scientists are optimistic. They hope that it is fertile: that it can reproduce. If it can, the world has a new man-made, or rather woman-made, species, the cama.

56. Llamas and camels now live in completely different regions. 57. Cama’s mother is a camel from a Dubai zoo, her father is a llama from the Centre.

58. Camels have short ears and a short tail, llamas have long ears, a long tail and wool.

59. The cama can carry heavy loads and live without water for several days.

60. Unfortunately, the cama cannot produce more wool.

Section C Short Answer Questions (20 points)

Directions: In this part, there are 2 passages followed by 10 questions or unfinished statements. Read the passages carefully, then answer the questions in the fewest possible words(not exceeding 10 words). Remember to write the answers on the Answer Sheet.

Questions 61 to 65 are based on the following chart.

Study the graph showing ticket sales of two low-cost airlines, Quickjet and Fly Now. Then answer the questions below.

Questions:

61. What was the value of Quickjet sales for the year 1996?

62. In which year did Quickjet sales drop sharply?

63. Which was the best year for Fly Now sales?

64. How much was earned from Fly Now sales in 1999?

65. In which year did Quickjet sales exceed those of Fly Now?

Questions 66 to 70 are based on the following letters.

There are two business letters here. After reading the letters you should give brief answers to the 5 questions following them.

Questions：

66． What products are the two letters talking about?

67． What does Mary Smith ask for in her letter?

68． From the first letter we know regular orders can be placed if the quality of the bicycles are ______ and ________.

69． How can Mary Smith get a special discount?

70． What are also included in Mark Steven’s letter apart from the catalogue and price list?

Section D Summary (10 points)

Directions: In this part, there is 1 passage followed with a summary. Read the passage carefully and complete the summ-

ary with the appropriate words of the passage. Remember to write the answers on the Answer Sheet.

There are deserts all over the world. Over half of Africa is desert land. There are deserts in China and Latin America as well. The United States has deserts in the southwest part of the country. In some places, deserts are growing. This is a serious problem. Deserts destroy farmland. They also ruin land where animals live. When people cannot grow food or find animals to eat, they have to leave their homes.

Deserts spread for different reasons. Sometimes nature causes this problem. Wind can move sand away from deserts and onto useful land. When there is no rain for a long time many plants can die. However, humans can also cause deserts to grow. This is called desertification. This happens in many ways. One way is when people cause too much air pollution, which can make an area hotter: Hotter weather can reduce the amount of rain. Also, too many people in one area can damage the land. Especially if they have many animals, their animals can also harm the land. When large animals like cows walk on soil too much, they turn it into dust. The wind easily blows this dust away. Trees help hold water in the ground. When people cut down too many trees, the water goes away and the soil is ruined. Plants may stop growing in these places.

All of these things can speed up desertification. To stop deserts from growing, people must think of ways to treat the land better.

There are deserts all around the world. Deserts are getting bigger in some places. This is a (71)________ problem, since deserts can (72)________ farmland. Not only nature, but also people can cause deserts to (73)________. People can cause too much air pollution, which makes weather (74)________. Large numbers of people can destroy land. Also, cutting down too many trees can make the soil lose water. People must (75)________ the land better if they want to stop desert growth.

Part VI Cloze (10 minutes, 15 points)

Directions: There are 15 blanks in the passage. For each blank, the first letter of the word has been given. Read the passage below and think of the word which best fits each blank. Use only one word in each blank. Remember to write the answers on the Answer Sheet.

What constitutes a fair wage? The (76) a________ of money that people earn is (77) i________ reality determined not by fairness (78) b________ by market forces. This fact, (79) h________, should not prevent us trying to devise a mechanism for deciding what is the right pay for the job.

A (80) s________ point for such an investigation (81) w________ be to try to decide the ratio which ought to (82)

e________ between the highest and the lowest paid. The picture is made more complicated by two factors. The first is the ‘social wage’, that is, the benefits—(83) s________ as holidays, sick pay and maternity leave—which every citizen is (84) e________ to.

Secondly, the taxation system is often used as an (85) i________ of social justice by taxing the rich at a very (86)

h________ rate indeed. Allowing for these two things, most countries now regard as socially acceptable a ratio of 7:1 between the best and the (87) l________ paid.

If the ratio is narrower, the highly-qualified people (88) w________ usually carry heavy responsibilities may become so dissatisfied that they end up emigrating (the so-called ‘brain drain’).

But, if it is wider, the (89) g________ between rich and poor will be so great that it will (90) l________ to social tension and, in extreme cases, to violence and revolution.

Part VII Translation (15 minutes, 15 points)

Section A English-Chinese Translation (10 points)

Directions：Translate the underlined sentences of the following passage into Chinese. Remember to write the answers on the Answer Sheet.

Free to soar

(91)One windy spring day, I observed young people having fun using the wind to fly their kites. Multicolored creations of varying shapes and sizes filled the skies like beautiful birds darting and dancing. As the strong winds gusted against the kites, a string kept them in check.

(92)Instead of blowing away with the wind, they arose against it to achieve great heights. They shook and pulled, but the restraining string and the cumbersome tail kept them in tow, facing upward and against the wind. (93)As the kites struggled and trembled against the string, they seemed to say, “Let me go! Let me go! I want to be free!” They soared beautifully even as they fought the restriction of the string. Finally, one of the kites succeeded in breaking loose. “Free at last,” it seemed to say. “Free to fly with the wind.”

Yet freedom from restraint simply put it at the mercy of (受……支配) an unsympathetic breeze. It fluttered ungracefully to the ground and landed in a tangled mass of weeds and string against a dead bush. “Free at last” free to lie powerless in the dirt, to be blown helplessly along the ground, and to lodge lifeless against the first obstruction.

How much like kites we sometimes are. (94)The Heaven gives us adversity and restrictions, rules to follow from which we can grow and gain strength. Restraint is a necessary counterpart to the winds of opposition. (95)Some of us tug at the rules so hard that we never soar to reach the heights we might have obtained. We keep part of the commandment and never rise high enough to get our tails off the ground.

Let us each rise to the great heights, recognizing that some of the restraints that we may chafe under are actually the steadying force that helps us ascend and achieve.

Section B Chinese-English Translation (5 points)

Directions: Translate the following sentences or parts of the sentences into English. Remember to write the answers on the Answer Sheet.

96. 約翰破門(mén)而入，結(jié)果發(fā)現(xiàn)保險(xiǎn)箱（safe）已被洗劫一空。(only to find...)

______________________________________________.

97． 那個(gè)女孩剛剛安頓下來(lái)，男朋友就離開(kāi)了她。（hardly... when）

________________________________________ .

98. 教育是興國(guó)之本， 這一點(diǎn)無(wú)論怎樣強(qiáng)調(diào)都不過(guò)分。（cannot...too...）

It________________________________that education is ________________________ .

99. 小湯姆提出這個(gè)問(wèn)題不是出于好奇心而是出于求知欲。（not so much...as）

Little Tom asked the question______________________

________________________________________________ .

100. 不管邁克的外表如何， 實(shí)際上他是個(gè)頭腦簡(jiǎn)單的人。 （regardless of ）

________________________________________________.

Part VIII Writing (30 minutes, 30 points)

Task I (10 points)

Directions: In this part, you are required to write a letter according to the following instructions given in Chinese. Remember to write the letter in no less than 120 words on the Answer Sheet.

你去年在英國(guó)留學(xué)期間曾受到約翰夫婦的熱情幫助及款待，特寫(xiě)信表示感謝。

Task II (20 points)

Directions: Study the following cartoon carefully and write an essay in no less than 150 words. In your essay, you should first interpret the cartoon, and then give your comments on it. Please write your essay on the Answer Sheet.

The Age of Mobile Phones