In the TOEFL writing test you have to first read a text and then listen to a ________ lecture on the same topic.

Read carefully the following excerpt and then write your response in NO LESS THAN 200 words, in which you should: ●summarize the main message of the excerpt, and then ●comment on whether our brains will get lazy in a world run by intelligent machines. You can support yourself with information from the excerpt. Marks will be awarded for content relevance, content sufficiency, organization and language quality. Failure to follow the above instructions may result in a loss of marks. With intelligent machines to do the thinking, will our brains get lazy? Changing technology stimulates the brain and increases intelligence. But that may only be true if the technology challenges us. In a world run by intelligent machines, our lives could get a lot simpler. Would that make us less intelligent? Artificial intelligence is taking over many human jobs. For instance, planes are being flown much of the time by automatic pilots. And the complex problem of controlling air traffic around large modern airports is also achieved by artificial intelligence that operates well beyond the capacity of mere human air traffic controllers. As machines get smarter, they will do more of our thinking for us and make life easier. In the future, the electronic assistant will develop to the point that it serves similar functions as a real living butler, fulfilling requests such as: “Organize a dinner party for six on Thursday, Jeeves, and invite the usual guests.” At that point, our long struggle with challenging technologies is at an end. Like Be Wooster, we can take it easy knowing that the hard work of planning and organizing is being done by a better brain-the electronic assistant. Starved of mental effort, our brains will regress.

•Read the article below about teams and management and the questions on the opposite page.

•For each question 13-18, mark one letter (A, B, C or D) on your Answer Sheet for the answer you choose.

Creative teams and management

When Colgate launched its then revolutionary Colgate Gum Protection toothpaste in 1990, company executives were confident they had a hit on their hands. The toothpaste incorporated a groundbreaking antibacterial technology they thought was the biggest innovation since fluoride. But in the mouths after the toothpaste's six-country rollout, the product's market share reached a meager 1% -- one fifth of the company's projections.

What went wrong? A new round of market research found that the original launch strategy mural the "breakthrough" message, the ads positioned the new toothpaste as a line extension instead of a revolutionary advance, and the public just didn't buy the product's broad claims. Up to this point, Colgate's president, Bill Shanahan, had attended only quarterly review meetings, now he rolled up his sleeves to rescue the product, establishing a worldwide marketing team and meeting regularly with global business vice president Kathleen Thornhill and CEO Reuben Mark to follow the team's progress.

Shanahan and others at the very top sifted through the research and took pat in the advertising development meetings, working elbow to elbow with the marketing team. Renamed Colgate Total, and promoted with a retooled ad campaign that stressed the toothpaste's 12-hour protection, the product was a hit in most of the 103 countries outside the United States.

Shanahan continued to lavish personal attention on the product, putting Colgate Total under the direct supervision of Jack Haber, then worldwide director of consumer oral care products, and committing $35 million and a team of 200 employees to the project. With that kind of senior-level backing, Haber pulled out the stops, spending $20 million to promote Colgate Total to U.S. dentists alone. Within two months of its domestic launch in 1997, the product captured 10.5% of the U.S. toothpaste market and within six months muscled perennial champ, Procter & Gamble's Crest, out of first place. Colgate Total has remained number one ever since.

What transforms a good product idea like Colgate Total into a blockbuster? We spent ten years studying more than 700 new product development teams and interviewed over 4130 project leaders, team members, senior executives, and CEOs intimately involved in product development and launch. Of the hundreds of teams we studied, just 7% of them -- 49 in all -- created products that scored a perfect ten on our measure of blockbuster success. To achieve that score, products had to reach or exceed company goals, customer expectations, profit and sales targets, garner company and industry awards, and attract national attention.

Products don't become blockbusters without the intense, personal involvement of senior management usually a CEO or division head. In every case studied, top management played an intimate, active, often daily role. This approach has been out of favor for decades, creative teams, the thinking goes, should be empowered by management and then left alone. Too much attention stifles innovation. To that we say "Baloney." Our work shows that, in the best case, management involvement should stat on day one. Ideally, senior managers work closely with the product team to establish must-have features and then help clear a path for the team. Top managers control resources, and they have the authority to allow the team to break rules and cut through red tape. And, crucially, senior managers serve as cheerleaders and visionaries, broadcasting a message of organizational commitment that

A．The results ran contrary to the company's expectation.

B．It achieved a great success.

C．It took a great portion of market share.

D．The new technology was not popular among customers.

I had been working in the trauma unit at a local hospital for about a year. You get used to families thinking that a "coma" patient is moving their hand or doing something that they were asked to do. "Following commands" is what we call it. Often it's "wishful thinking" on the families' part. Nurses can easily become callous to it.

On this particular night during visiting hours, my patient's wife came in. I had taken care of him for severam nights. I was very familiar with his care and what he was able to do. Actually, he didn't do anything. He barely moved at all, even when something would obviously hurt him, such as suctioning.

His wife was very short, about 5 feet tall. She had to stand on a stool to lean over him, so that she could see his face and talk to him. She climbed up on the stool. I spoke to her for a few minutes, and then stepped out to tend to my other patient. A few minutes later, she came running out of the room. In an excited voice, she said, "Donna, he's moving his hand!"

I immediately thought that it was probably her imagination, and that he had not actually done it on purpose. He had been there about a month at the time and had never made any movements on purpose. I asked her what had happened and she said, "I asked him to squeeze my hand and he did !"

This led me to another train of questioning. "But, did he let go when you asked him to?" She said yes, that he had done exactly what she asked.

I went into the room with her, not really believing that I would see anything different than I had always seen. But I decided that it would be better to pacify her than to make her think I didn't believe her or that she was somehow mistaken.

She asked him to squeeze her hand, which he did. I said, "Well, ask him to let go." He continued to squeeze for a moment, so that when he finally did let go, I really still didn't believe that he had done it on Purpose. So, I said, "Ask him to hold up one finger." He did as asked.

Well, hmm, this was starting to get my attention. I looked at him, his face still somewhat swollen and his eyes still closed. "Stick out your tongue!" I said. He did it. I almost fell on the floor. It was the first time I had ever seen anyone "wake up. "

The first paragraph indicates that more often than not a coma patient ______.

A．is found to be following commands

B．is thought to be following commands

C．is used to following commands

D．is callous to nurses' commands

&8226;Read the advertisement and the memo below.

&8226;Complete the form. on the opposite page.

&8226;Write a word or phrase (in CAPITAL LETTERS) or a number on lines 41-45 on your Answer Sheet.

THE ELECTRONIC WHITEBOARD

made by Rigley-Turner Limited

Keep a record of your whiteboard notes without any effort: push a button at the base of the board and a copy is printed out within seconds. The new portable version is lighter than a notebook computer, and fits in the boot of a car.

Type:

Portable size $985.00

Meeting room size $870.00

Desk size $750.00

Only available through the Sales department of your local agent.

Contact: Rightway Supplies

PO Box 2059

Sapient Communications Limited

MEMO

To: Laura Wells

From: Sandra Cooke

Date: 26 March 2004

Subject: Electronic Whiteboard

Laura, these look useful for us in Quality Control. I'd really like the portable, but we'd better ask for the cheapest one. I need it by 10th of next month for the presentation on 15th. Can you fill out a request form. in my name and get it to the Purchasing department?

(41)

Coal is expected to continue to account for almost 27 percent of the world's energy needs. With growing international awareness of pressures on the environment and the need to achieve sustainable development of energy resources, a wide range of pollution control practices is in place at most modem mines. In addition, major research and development programmers are being devoted to lifting efficiencies and reducing emissions of greenhouse gases during coal consumption. Such measures are helping coal to maintain its status as a major supplier of the world's energy needs.

The coal industry has been targeted by its critics as a significant contributor to the greenhouse effect. However, the greenhouse effect is a natural phenomenon involving the increase in global surface temperature due to the presence of greenhouse gases—water vapor, carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide--in the atmosphere. Without the greenhouse effect, the earth's average surface temperature would be 33-35℃ lower, or -15℃. Life on earth, as we know it today, would not be possible.

There is concern that this natural phenomenon is being altered by a greater build-up of gases from human activity, perhaps giving rise to additional warming and changes in the earth' s climate. This additional build-up and its forecast outcome has been called the enhanced greenhouse effect. Considerable uncertainty exists, however, about the enhanced greenhouse effect, particularly in relation to the extent and timing of any future increases in global temperature.

Greenhouse gases arise from a wide range of sources and their increasing concentration is largely related to the compound effects of increased population, improved living standards and changes in lifestyle. From a current base of 5 billion, the United Nations predicts that the global population may stabilize in the twenty-first century between 8 and 14 billion, with more than 90 percent of the projected increase taking place in the

world's developing nations. The associated activities to support that growth, particularly to produce the required energy and food, will cause further increases in greenhouse gas emissions. The challenge, therefore, is to attain a sustainable balance between population, economic growth and the environment.

The major greenhouse gas emissions from human activities are carbon dioxide (CO2), methane and njtrous oxide. Chlorofiuorocarbons (CFCs) are the only major contributor to the greenhouse effect that does not occur naturally, coming from such sources as refrigeration, plastics and manufacture. Coal's total contribution to greenhouse gas emissions is thought to be about 18 percent, with about half of this coming from electricity generation.

Effects have been made to guarantee the status of coal industry except ______.

A．analyzing coal's relation to the greenhouse effect

B．controlling pollution at modem mines

C．cutting down emissions of greenhouse gases

D．maintaining efficiencies during coal consumption

Everything in today's world is going faster and faster, and television commercials are no exception. At the start of the television age the standard commercial lasted 60 seconds, but most of today's commercials are only half that length and many are even shorter. The 15-second commercial, introduced a few years ago as a way to cut skyrocketing advertising costs, may soon be the most common in the United States. (Our television-watching counterparts in Japan and Europe are already being treated to 7-second mini-commercials ! )

What stands behind the message that blips onto and off our television screens before we have time to get to the kitchen and hack? Months of planning; hundreds of interviews with potential users of the product; hours of writing; dozens of actors, directors, and technicians; days of filming; and hundreds of thousands of dollm's in payments to the television networks that will run the ad.

Take for example a recent commercial for a certain brand of cough drops. The manufacturer of the cough drops spent four months trying to think of a way to boost sales. After several surveys of cough drop users, the company decided to market a strawberry-flavored lozenge. Further surveys identified tile typical users of the strawberry-flavored cough drop as persons between the ages of 15 and 30. This infforination was important in planning the content and style. of the commercial (fast-paced and upbeat, with colorful graphics and lively music) and in determining when to air it (during situation comedies, prime-time dramas, and music specials).

The creative team at the advertising agency that handled the cough drop company's account then took over. After hours of discussion and writing, they came up with six scripts, from which the client chose two. One involved a young woman pulling a strawberry out of a box of cough drops. The outline, or storyboard, for the commercial looked deceptively simple: four sketches and a few lines of 'voice-over.' Yet these few words and images (just enough to fill 15 seconds) had been carefully selected to convey crucial information about the product: its effectiveness in suppressing coughs and soothing sore throats, the absence of sugar, and its strawberry flavor.

Turning this carefully calculated script. into an effective commercial involved finding just the right actor: a young woman who would be attractive to the target audience and who could make her positive response to the cough drops look convincing. Forty-two actors were. auditioned; one was chosen.

The actor wasn't the only element of the commercial that had to go through an audition. More than a hundred outfits were inspected before one was chosen for her to wear, and hundreds of strawberries had to be sorted through.

The filming began at 9:30 one morning. "All" the actor had to do was to open a box of cough drops, pull out a strawberry and munch on it. Yet her movements and facial expressions had to be just right, and achieving that perfection took three hours and 72 shootings, or 'takes.'

Even then—shooting completed—the job was far from done. Thousands of feet of film had to be reduced to a compact 45 feet of finished commercial. Using million-dollar, computerized equipment, the producer, writer, and art director selected the best two takes and mixed images and sound to produce a polished final product. The result? A simple, effortless-looking lisle film that shows none of the tremendous effort that went into producing it, but which should justify all of that time, creativity, and expense by boosting cough drop sales.

Which of the following best expresses the main idea of the selection?

A．Although most television commercials look simple and straightforward, they typically take a great deal of time, effort, and money to produce.

B．Because the development of television commercials involves so many steps, commercials are among the most difficult and complex types of fihn to produce.

C．The major factors in developing a successful television commercial are good planning of style. and content and careful selection of actors.

D．A reduction in the average length of television commercials has made their development more complex and costly than it used to be.

听力原文：M: Everyone seems to be on a diet, Have you noticed that, Mary?

W: Everyone seems to be talking about diet.

M: A neighbor of mine is on a banana diet. She eats a banana for breakfast, a banana for lunch, and two bananas for dinner.

W: That's bad for health! Has she lost any weight?

M: She doesn't look any thinner, but she hasn't been on the diet long,

W: A friend of mine eats eggs for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. He never eats anything but eggs.

M: That's bad for the heart ! Eggs have a lot of protein, and protein is good for losing weight. Too many eggs are bad for the heart.

W: I've read that, too. But eggs are cheaper than steak. An uncle of mine doesn't eat anything but steak, He eats steak for breakfast.

M: The best way to lose weight is to eat less and exercise more.

Why do people go on a diet?

A．To lose weight.

B．To eat steak.

C．To talk about eating.

听力原文： One winter day in 1891, a class at the training school in Massachusetts, USA, went into the gym for their daily exercises. Since the football season had ended, most of the young man felt they were in for a boring time. But their teacher James Nasmyth had other ideas. He had been working for a long time on a new game that would have the excitement of American football. Nasmyth showed the men a basket he had hung at each end of the gym and explained that they were going to use around European football At first, everybody try to throw ball into the basket no matter where he was standing .Pass ! Pass! Nasmyth kept shouting, blowing his whistle to stop the excited players. Slowly, they began to understand what was wanted of them. The problem with the new game, which was soon called basketball, was getting the ball out of the basket. They used ordinary fruit baskets with bottoms, and the ball, of course, stayed inside. At first, someone had to clime up every time a basket was scored. It was several years before someone came up with the idea of removing the bottom of the basket and letting the ball fall through. There have been many changes in the rules since then and basketball has become one of the world's most popular sports.

(30)

A．He took them to watch a basketball game.

B．He trained them to play European football.

C．He let them compete in getting balls out of a basket.

D．He taught them to play an exciting new game.

听力原文： One winter day in 1891 a class at a training school in Massachusetts U. S. A. , went into the gym for their daily exercises. Since the football season had ended, most of the young men felt they were in for a boring time. But their teacher, James Nesmith had other ideas. He had been working for a long time on a new game that would have the excitement of American football. Nesmith showed the men a basket he had hung at each end of the gym and explained that they were going to use a round European football. At first everybody tried to throw the ball into the basket no matter where he was standing. "Pass! Pass!" Nesmith kept shouting, blowing his whistle to stop the excited players. Slowly they began to understand what was wanted of them.

The problem with the new game, which was soon called basketball, was getting the ball out of the basket. They used ordinary food baskets with bottoms and the ball of course stayed inside. At first someone had to climb up every time a basket was scored. It was several years before someone came up with the idea of removing the bottom of the basket and letting the ball fall through. There have been many changes in the rules since then and basketball has become one of the world's most popular sports.

(34)

A．He took them to watch a basketball game.

B．He trained them to play European football.

C．He let them compete in getting balls out of a basket.

D．He taught them to play an exciting new game.