Section I: Listening ComprehensionThis section is designed to test your ability to understand spoken English. You will hear a selection of recorded materials and you must answer the questions that accompany them. There are three parts in this section, Part A , Part B and Part C.Remember, while you are doing the test, you should first answer the questions in your test booklet, not on the ANSWER SHEET. At the end of the listening comprehension section, you will have 5 minutes to transfer your answers from your test booklet onto ANSWER SHEET 1.If you have any questions, you may raise your hand NOW as you will not be allowed to speak once the test has started.

Part AYou will hear a conversation between a student, Mr. Wang, and his tutor, Dr. Wilson. As you listen, answer Questions 1 to 10 by circling True or False. You will hear the conversation ONLY ONCE. You now have 60 seconds to read Questions 1-10.1. Dr. Wilson and Mr. Wang have met before. TRUE / FALSE2. Wang prefers to live with an English family. TRUE / FALSE3. Wang intends to study how computer is used for language translation. TRUE / FALSE4. Back in his own country Mr. Wang studied C-language and chemistry. TRUE / FALSE5. Wang has some experience in CAD. TRUE / FALSE6. Dr. Wilson is satisfied with Wang's past experience. TRUE / FALSE7. Wang has little knowledge of the phonetic processing system. TRUE / FALSE8. Wang decides to take courses and pass exams. TRUE / FALSE9. Dr. Wilson suggests that Wang should extend his stay at the university. TRUE / FALSE10. Dr. Wilson asks Wang to do a little more research before deciding on his project. TRUE / FALSE

Tapescript:

WMW[Hearing a knock on the door] Come in please.Good morning Dr. Wilson.Good morning Wang. So nice to see you again. Take a seat...why don't you, please. When did you get to the university?MWMI arrived yesterday.Well... Are you living in the college?No, I am with an English family...actually...because I want to improve my speaking.WMWOh, fine. Right, did you take a language proficiency test before you came?Yes. Uhh...my Overall Band is 6, but...unfortunately my speaking is only 5.OK, you know, here in this university, you have to take our own English test before you attend any lectures. So, first of all, what we've got to do is, we have to make an arrangement for the test date. Umm...will tomorrow be all right for you?MW

Yeah, I have time tomorrow morning.Good, then. Tomorrow at ten. I don't think the test will be any problem for you. Now, let's make sure you make full use of your time here. Let's put it like this. What exactly do you want to accomplish in the next 12 months?MI'm interested in computer language translation, I mean, from English to Chinese and Chinese to English. I'll try, if possible, to produce a software or a device which can serve as an interpreter.WMYes, could you be a bit more specific about...er...the device?For instance, when, you talk to the device in English it will translate your words into Chinese and vice versa.WMWMWUhuh...do you mean it'll be as competent as...er... a human interpreter?Yes... well, I'll let it deal with general situations, at least.Fascinating... and how big will the device itself be, do you think?The size of a cigarette pack, I think. So people can put it in their pocket.Really. Well, that could be a Ph. D project. Tell me what you have done so far.In my four years of undergraduate study, I studied electronics, advancedMmathematics, hardware designing, some computer languages and program writing.Yes, but have you done anypractical jobs? I mean, have you written anyWprograms for practical use?I was involved in a project for CAD in a shipyard.MWThe computer aided design. That was probably a good experience, but, unfortunately, it may not help your present project much. Are you familiar with C-language?No.MWUhuh... the phonetic processing system, do you know how such a system works?What do you mean by "phonetic processing system?"MWWell, you know, English is spoken by different people with different accents. Your English accent is different from mine, and of course mine is not the same as my colleagues'. So as I see it, your device would have to be able to recognise and understand different accents.Oh, I see. I think I can learn C-language and a phonetic processing systemMhere.Well, that's probably true, but you've got only 12 months and you want aWdegree, don't you?Yes.MWOK, so there're two ways of studying for a degree here. You either take six courses, pass their exams and have your dissertation accepted or the other way is you do some research work and submit your project report.MWMWI think I'll take the second way.Fine, but are you sure you can finish your project in 12 months?I don't know, but I can work 12 hours a day and 7 days a week.Well, I'd suggest you spend some time in our library, trying to find out what other students have done before and perhaps re-consider your own project, to some extent. You might narrow your research area, concentrating on solving one or two major problems. And, it'd be a good idea to talk to your colleagues in the lab, first. Anyway, I'm sure we can work out something good. Shall I see you again in three days' time?All right. I'll go away and do some thinking. Then I'll talk to you about myMnew plan.Good. See you then.WMThank you. Bye-bye.

You now have 20 seconds to check your answers to Questions 1 - 10.That is the end of Part A

Part B:You will hear 3 conversations or talks and you must answer the questions by choosing A, B, C or D. You will hear the recording ONLY ONCE.Questions 1 - 3 are based on the following talk. You now have 15 seconds to read Questions 1 - 3.

1. What does the speaker suggest that the students should do during the term?[A] Consult with her frequently.[B] Use the computer regularly.[C] Occupy the computer early.[D] Wait for one's turn patiently.

2. What service must be paid for?[A] Computer classes.[B] Training sessions.[C] Laser printing.[D] Package borrowing.

3. What is the talk mainly about?[A] Computer lab services.[B] College library facilities.[C] The use of micro-computers.[D] Printouts from the laser printer.

Tapescript

Right, everybody. Welcome to Central College library services. My name's Kathy Jenkins. I'll give you a brief introduction to the library. We have a well-stocked bank of resources which are in three main locations: the library itself, with books and periodicals; the self-access language centre, with audio and video material; and the micro-computer lab. I'll start with the micro-computer lab, or micro-lab as we call it. It is fitted with 24 personal computers.

If you are a member of the library, you may borrow CALL discs in French, German, Italian, Spanish and Russian as well as English. By the way, CALL stands for computer aided language learning: C A double L, "CALL", for short. You may also borrow a range of word processing and desktop publishing packages. All disks are, of course, strictly for use in the micro-lab only. If you wish to print anything you should use one of the five machines around the outside of the room. Four are connected to dot matrix printers, one is connected to the laser printer. If you want a top quality printout from the laser printer, come and see myself or any of the library staff. Dot-matrix printouts are free but there is a charge for using the laser printer.

There is always a queue to get to the terminals towards the end of term. Come in and get to know how to use the computers early in the term and use them regularly, rather than just before exams and essay deadlines, in order to avoid delay or disappointment. Training sessions are held on a regular basis, on the first and third Thursday of each month, and are free to full-time students of the college. See you there. Now, any questions?

You now have 30 seconds to check your answers to Questions 1 - 3.

Part CYou will hear a talk given by a university lecturer. As you listen, you must answer Questions 1 -10 by writing NO MORE THAN THREE words in the space provided on the right. You will hear the talk TWICE.You now have 60 seconds to read Questions 1 to 10.

1. What's the average annual increase of foreign student population in the period between 1985 and 1990 in terms of percentage?2. Which part of the world contributed to an increase between 94/95 and 95/96?3. When will the speaker talk about the economic and political changes?4. What will the speaker discuss first?5. Where do the three largest groups of students come from?6. What's the number of students from Malaysia?7. Which is the most popular field of study?8. What's the percentage of students in business and management?9. In terms of academic levels, in which level do we find the smallest number?10. In summary, what did the speaker talk about?

Tapescript

For those of you who are either already studying in the United States or plan to one day, it might be interesting to know something about the foreign student population in the United States. For the academic year 1995/96 there was a total of approximately 344,000 foreign students studying in the United States. This figure of 344,000 may seem like a very large number until you compare it with the total population of 241,000,000. The foreign student population has been growing for a number of years and is still growing, but the rate of increase has dropped sharply during the 1990s. During the 1980s, the population grew quite rapidly. For example, between 1985 and 1990, the average yearly increase was 12.5%. However, the picture in the 1990s is quite different. The rate of increase has declined quite noticeably. In fact, the rate of increase between 1994/95 and 1995/96 was only .5%, or one-half of one percent. Although the overall rate of increase has dropped to only .5%, the number of students from some parts of the world is increasing while the number of students from other areas is decreasing. For example, during this same time period, that is between the academic years 94/95 and 95/96, there was a decrease in the number of students from the Middle East, while the number of students from South and East Asia increased. These changes in the number of students coming from different parts of the world no doubt reflected changing economic and political situations. I'm sure you are aware of many of these changes, and perhaps we can discuss them at our next meeting. For today let's confine our talk to first, a discussion of the origin of these students, or, in other words, where they come from; second, the kinds of studies they pursue; and, finally, the academic levels they are found in. If we have a little time left, we might quickly discuss in which geographic areas most of them go to school.

Let's discuss the origins of the foreign student population in the United States for the academic year 1995/96. Let's discuss it in order from those areas sending the most students to those areas sending the fewest students. If we look at the figures provided by the annual census of foreign students in the United States for the year 1995/96, we see that most of the foreign students studying in the United States during this year were from South and East Asia. This is a rather large geographical area which includes such countries as China, Korea, Pakistan, India, Malaysia, and Indonesia. The total number of students from this area, South and East Asia was 156,830. In other words, roughly 2 out of every 5 foreign students come from South and East Asia. Almost 24,000 of this total were from China. Malaysia was close behind with just a little over 23,000 students. The next largest number of students came from the Middle East. The number of students from the Middle East came to about one-third the number from South and East Asia. The fourth largest number came from South America. Next came Europe, Africa, North America, and Oceania. Let's recapitulate what we've said. The largest number of students studying in the United States during the academic year 1995/96 were from South and East Asia, followed by the Middle East, South America, Europe, Africa, North America, and Oceania.

What fields are these large numbers of foreign students studying in? It probably won't surprise you to learn that the largest number are in the field of engineering. In fact, 21.7% of the total number are studying engineering. Business and management is close behind, however, with a total of 18.9%. The third most popular field was mathematics and computer sciences with 10.3%. As you can see, engineering with 21.7%, business and management with 18.9%, and mathematics and computer sciences with 10.3% comprise about one half of the total number of foreign students.

Let's talk about which academic levels these students can be found in. Foreign students can be found studying at all levels of higher education. As you might expect, the greatest number of them are studying at the undergraduate level ? approximately 158,000. The second largest group study at the graduate level and that number is just under 122,000. The rest study at junior colleges or in non-degree programs. It is at the graduate level that foreign students have the most impact. While foreign students comprise only 2.7% of the total U.S. student population, they account for 8.7% of all the graduate students studying at U. S. institutions. Let me give you those percentages again so you can get a better feel for the overall picture. Foreign students make up only 2.75 of the total U. S. student population, but they make up 8.7% of the total graduate student population.

Well, I see that's all the time we have today. We'll have to leave discussions of the geographic areas these students study in until another time.

Now you are going to hear the talk a second time.

REPEAT THE TEXT

You now have 3 minutes to check your answers to Questions 1 - 10.

That is the end of Part C. You now have 5 minutes to transfer all your answers from your test booklet to ANSWER SHEET 1.

That is the end of Listening Comprehension.

SECTION II: Use of EnglishRead the following text and fill each of the numbered spaces with ONE suitable word. Write your answers on ANSWER SHEET 1.

Children who grip their pens too close to the writing point are likely to be at a disadvantage in examinations,

(1) _____ to the first serious investigation into the way in which writing technique can dramatically affect educational achievement.The survey of 643 children and adults, aged from pre-school to 40-plus, also suggests

(2) _____ pen-holding techniques have deteriorated sharply over one generation, with teachers now paying far

(3) ______ attention to correct pen grip and handwriting style.Stephanie Thomas, a learning support teacher

(4) ______ findings have been published, was inspired to investigate this area

(5) _______ she noticed that those pupils who had the most trouble with spelling

(6) ______ had a poor pen grip. While Ms. Thomas could not establish a significant statistical link

(7) ______ pen-holding style and accuracy in spelling, she

(8) ______ find huge differences in technique between the young children and the mature adults, and a definite

(9) ________ between near-point gripping and slow, illegible writing.People who

(10) ______ their pens at the writing point also show other characteristics

(11) ______ inhibit learning,

(12) _______ as poor posture, leaning too

(13) ______ to the desk, using four fingers to grip the pen

14) ______ than three, and clumsy positioning of the thumb (which can obscure

(15) ______ is being written.Ms. Thomas believes that the

(16) ______ between older and younger writers is

(17) ________ too dramatic to be accounted for simply by the possibility that people get better at writing as they grow

(18) ________. She attributes it to a failure to teach the most effective methods, pointing out that the differences between

(19) _______ groups coincides with the abandonment of formal handwriting instruction in classrooms in the sixties. "The 30-year-olds showed a huge range of grips,

(20) ________ the over 40s group all had a uniform 'tripod' grip."

SECTION III: Reading Comprehension

Part ARead the following texts and answer the questions which accompany them by choosing A, B, C or D. Mark your answers on ANSWER SHEET 1.

Text 1

In recent years, there has been a steady assault on salt from the doctors: salt is bad for you ? regardless of your health. Politicians also got on board. "There is a direct relationship," US congressman Neal Smith noted, "between the amount of sodium a person consumes and heart disease, circulatory disorders, stroke and even early death."Frightening, if true! But many doctors and medical researchers are now beginning to feel the salt scare has gone too far. "All this hue and cry about eating salt is unnecessary," Dr. Dustan insists. "For most of us it probably doesn't make much difference how much salt we eat." Dustan's most recent short-term study of 150 people showed that those with normal blood pressure experienced no change at all when placed on an extremely low-salt diet, or later when salt was reintroduced. Of the hypertensive subjects, however, half of those on the low-salt diet did experience a drop in blood pressure, which returned to its previous level when salt was reintroduced."An adequate to somewhat excessive salt intake has probably saved many more lives than it has cost in the general population," notes Dr. John H. Laragh. "So a recommendation that the whole population should avoid salt makes no sense."Medical experts agree that everyone should practice reasonable "moderation" in salt consumption. For the average person, a moderate amount might run from four to ten grams a day, or roughly 1/2 to 1/3 of a teaspoon. The equivalent of one to two grams of this salt allowance would come from the natural sodium in food. The rest would be added in processing, preparation or at the table.Those with kidney, liver or heart problems may have to limit dietary salt, if their doctor advises. But even the very vocal "low salt" exponent, Dr. Arthur Hull Hayes, Jr. admits that "we do not know whether increased sodium consumption causes hypertension." In fact, there is growing scientific evidence that other factors may be involved: deficiencies in calcium, potassium, perhaps magnesium; obesity (much more dangerous than sodium); genetic predisposition; stress."It is not your enemy," says Dr. Laragh. "Salt is the No. 1 natural component of all human tissue, and the idea that you don't need it is wrong. Unless your doctor has proven that you have a salt-related health problem, there is no reason to give it up."

1. According to some doctors and politicians, the amount of salt consumed[A] exhibits as an aggravating factor to people in poor health.[B] cures diseases such as stroke and circulatory disorders.[C] correlates highly with some diseases.[D] is irrelevant to people suffering from heart disease.

2. From Dr. Dustan's study we can infer that[A] a low-salt diet may be prescribed for some people.[B] the amount of salt intake has nothing to do with one's blood pressure.[C] the reduction of salt intake can cure a hypertensive patient.[D] an extremely low-salt diet makes no difference to anyone.

3. In the third paragraph, Dr. Laragh implies that[A] people should not be afraid of taking excessive salt.[B] doctors should not advise people to avoid salt.[C] an adequate to excessive salt intake is recommended for people in disease.[D] excessive salt intake has claimed some victims in the general population.

4. The phrase "vocal ... exponent" (line 2, para. 4) most probably refers to[A] eloquent doctor.[B] articulate opponent.[C] loud speaker.[D] strong advocate.

5. What is the main message of this text?[A] That the salt scare is not justified.[B] That the cause of hypertension is now understood.[C] That the moderate use of salt is recommended.[D] That salt consumption is to be promoted.

Part BIn the following article some paragraphs have been removed. For Questions 1 - 5, choose the most suitable paragraph from the list A - F