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.
Scientists in China recently discovered the remains of a very old village where salt was produced 4,000 years ago. At the site, called Zhongba which is located at the Gan River in the Chongqing Municipality, the scientists found small cups still containing traces of ancient salt. Based on this discovery, they believe that 4,000 years ago people of the village used the cups to boil salty water. Once the water became steam, the salt was left behind.
The Zhongba settlement is extremely important because it is the first place we know of where people had a method for collecting salt. Comparable evidence of ancient salt production in the world comes from sites that not nearly as old. The Zhongba settlement is also very different from other sites because of its unique source of salt. While in other places salt was dug from mines or obtained from sea water, the Zhongba salt was obtained from a salty river. Regardless of the source, the Zhongba people must have valued salt greatly because salty foods were not as common then as today. Such foods would have been difficult to find, and they were probably a rare luxury. But even though salt was scarce, people knew about it, and it was appreciated in the past just as much as it is today. What the discovery at Zhongba shows is that people have had a taste for salt four thousands of years!
11. Where did the scientists find traces of salt? ( A )
12. What was unusual about the salt at Zhongba? ( A )
13. What is the passage mainly about? ( C )
Questions 14 through 16 are based on the following passage.
All her life, my mother wanted busy children. It was very important that her house should remain at all times clean and tidy.
You could turn your back for a moment in my mother’s house, leave a half-written letter
on the dining room table, a magazine open on the chair, and turn around to find that my
mother had “put it back where it belonged” as she explained.
My wife, on one of her first visits to my mother’s house, placed a packet of biscuits on an
end table and went to the kitchen to fetch a drink. When she returned, she found the packet
had been removed. Confused, she set down her drink and went back to the kitchen for more
biscuits, only to return to find that her drink had disappeared.
These disappearances had a confusing effect on our family. We all tended to be forgetful, and it was common for one of us, upon returning from the bathroom, to find that every sign of his work in progress had disappeared suddenly. “Do you remember what I was doing?” was a question frequently asked, but rarely answered.
Now my sister has developed a second-hand love of clean windows, and my brother does the cleaning in his house. I try not to think about it too much, but I have at this later time started to dust the furniture once a week.
We all have become busy persons.
14. What is my mother like? ( D )
15. What kind of person is my sister now? ( D )
16. What is the passage mainly talking about? ( C )

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 fill in the numbered blanks with the information you hear.
Blanks 17 through 20 are based on the following conversation.
W: Aren’t you going for the job interview tomorrow?
M: That’s right. I have to go at 10 o’clock in the morning. I don’t know how to get there, though.
W: I can take you there on my car, if you like.
M: Thanks a lot. That’s a great help. I must say, I’m worried about this interview.
W: Why? You’re the right person they were looking for. And I know they need engineers.
M: I know, but I haven’t had much experience.
W: I don’t think that matters. You’re sure to get the job.
M: Well, I don’t know.
W: Don’t you want the job?
M: Of course I do. I really need it. And there’s another thing. I don’t think I’m good enough at languages.
W: But your German is really good. I was impressed by the way you talked to those people we met on holiday last year.
M: But I don’t think I speak German well enough for doing business, and my French is terrible.
W: Well, I don’t agree. Your language is good.
M: It’s very nice of you to try to cheer me up, but I still don’t think I’m going to get the job.
W: Well, we’ll just have to wait and see, won’t we?
Complete the form. Write ONE WORD OR NUMBER for each answer.

Blanks 21 through 24 are based on the following conversation.
W: The conference would be from the second to the sixth of April, for around 300 people. Do you have the facilities for that number of people on those dates?
M: Yes...these dates would be suitable...About the facilities, perhaps I can give you a brief idea of what we can offer.
W: Yes, please.
M: We have a modern conference center with seats for over 450 people. Our main conference hall can seat as many as 350 people.
W: Do you have any smaller conference rooms? We will need a place for small group discussions.
M: Yes, of course. We have two smaller conference rooms which can seat 50 people each.
W: I see.
M: We have soundproof folding doors between the conference rooms, and these can be opened up to form a single large room.
W: Good, this will be very useful in the meeting. What about the technical side? How about the projector and screen?
M: The conference center has the most up-to-date equipment. It has a special projector with a large screen on the stage.
W: Is there any space for exhibition purposes?
M: Yes, of course. There’s also an exhibition hall in the conference center.
W: Great! I think that’s the ideal place for the conference.