The ability to meet short-term obligations and to efficiently generate revenues is called:

Section B

Directions: This section is to test your ability to understand short conversations. There are 2 recorded conversations in it. After each conversation, there are some recorded questions. The conversations and the questions will be spoken only once. When you hear a question, you should choose the correct answer from the 4 choices marked A, B, C, and D.

听力原文：W: It seems like new inventions come out almost every day.

M: Yes, we may well call our time "The Age of New Inventions."

W: I've heard of: "the Computer Age", "The Internet Age", "The IT Age", and "The Age of Cloning" ,but I've never heard theat phrase before.

M: Thanks to advances in science and technology, our lives are becoming easier.

W: Yes, indeed. They have not just changed our way of life, but our ideas as well.

M: That's true. However, they have also brought about some side effects.

W: I agree. Just think of the harm from crime committed through the Internet.

M: And children may be the most likely online victims. Nevertheless, what I'm most worried about is human cloning.

W: Me, too. I fully support the idea of banning all kinds of experiments involving human cloning.

M: I just can't bear to live among clones.

W: That's totally unbearable.

Q9. What's the topic of this conversation?

(10)

A．The advantages of modern society.

B．The side effects of IT and cloning technology.

C．The conveniences of modern life.

D．Benefits and harms of new technologies.

Section B

Directions: This section is to test your ability to understand short conversations. There are 2 recorded conversations in it. After each conversation, there are some recorded questions. The conversations and the questions will be spoken only once. When you hear a question, you should choose the correct answer from the 4 choices marked A, B, C, and D.

听力原文：W: It seems like new inventions come out almost every day.

M: Yes, we may well call our time "The Age of New Inventions."

W: I've heard of: "the Computer Age", "The Internet Age", "The IT Age", and "The Age of Cloning" ,but I've never heard theat phrase before.

M: Thanks to advances in science and technology, our lives are becoming easier.

W: Yes, indeed. They have not just changed our way of life, but our ideas as well.

M: That's true. However, they have also brought about some side effects.

W: I agree. Just think of the harm from crime committed through the Internet.

M: And children may be the most likely online victims. Nevertheless, what I'm most worried about is human cloning.

W: Me, too. I fully support the idea of banning all kinds of experiments involving human cloning.

M: I just can't bear to live among clones.

W: That's totally unbearable.

Q9. What's the topic of this conversation?

(6)

A．The advantages of modern society.

B．The side effects of IT and cloning technology.

C．The conveniences of modern life.

D．Benefits and harms of new technologies.

Section B

Directions: This section is to test your ability to understand short conversations. There are 2 recorded conversations in it. After each conversation, there are some recorded questions. The conversations and the questions will be spoken only once. When you hear a question, you should choose the correct answer from the 4 choices marked A, B, C, and D.

听力原文：W: It seems like new inventions come out almost every day.

M: Yes, we may well call our time "The Age of New Inventions."

W: I've heard of: "the Computer Age", "The Internet Age", "The IT Age", and "The Age of Cloning", but I've never heard theat phrase before.

M: Thanks to advances in science and technology, our lives are becoming easier.

W: Yes, indeed. They have not just changed our way of life, but our ideas as well.

M: That's true. However, they have also brought about some side effects.

W: I agree. Just think of the harm from crime committed through the Internet.

M: And children may be the most likely online victims. Nevertheless, what I'm most worried about is human cloning.

W: Me, too. I fully support the idea of banning all kinds of experiments involving human cloning.

M: I just can't bear to live among clones.

W: That's totally unbearable.

(6)

A．The advantages of modern society.

B．The side effects of IT and cloning technology.

C．The conveniences of modern life.

D．Benefits and harms of new technologies.

Section A

Directions: This section is to test your ability to understand short dialogues. There are 5 recorded dialogues in it. After each dialogue, there is a recorded question. The dialogues and the questions will be spoken only once. When you hear a question, you should decide on the correct answer from the 4 choices A , B, C, and D.

听力原文：M: There was a phone call for you earlier today.

W: Who was it? I have been expecting a call from John all day.

Q：What does the woman want to know?

(1)

A．Who made the phone call.

B．What the call was about.

C．Who came earlier than he.

D．When John called him.

Section B

Directions: This section is to test your ability to understand short conversations. There are 2 recorded conversations in it. After each conversation, there are some recorded questions. The conversations and the questions will be spoken only once. When you hear a question, you should choose the correct answer from the 4 choices marked A, B, C, and D.

听力原文： Londoners set their clocks by Big Ben. Big Ben is the bell in the world's most famous clock. Most people call the clock Big Ben, the name really refers to the bell.

The clock's tower stands 316 feet tall. It was built more than a hundred years ago. The tower now leans by fifteen inches. However, experts say that it is in no danger.

During World War Ⅱ the clock was hit by bombs. Still it kept perfect time. But in 1945 some birds settled on the hands of the clock. It lost five minutes.

Questions 11 and 12 are based on the passage you have just heard.

What is the Big Ben?

(6)

A．It is the name of a man.

B．It is the name of a tower

C．It is the name of a bell.

D．It is the name of an expert.

?Read the article below about manufacturing in the USA.

?Choose the best sentence from the opposite page to fill each of the gaps.

?For each gap 9-14, mark one letter (A-H) on your Answer Sheet.

?Do not use any letter more than once.

Making It in the USA

When it comes to US manufacturing, conventional wisdom says the prognosis is bad. Just read the headlines: During the past three years, the nation has lost 2.7 million factory jobs -- many of them permanently. Manufacturing now employs just 11 percent of the US workforce, compared with 30 percent in the 1950s.

But LeRoy Nosbaum, chief executive at Itron Corp., a ＄285 million builder of utility meter readers in Spokane, Wash., sees things differently. "If you can't manufacture in the US efficiently and economically, you don't know how to manufacture," he says. Yes, making stuff in the United States requires merciless, day-by-day cost cutting. (9) "Jumping on the low-cost bandwagon is a quick fix," says Bill Hanson, co-director of MIT's Leaders for Manufacturing program. "But it can hurt you in the long run."

Job-loss statistics may overstate the fall in US manufacturing competitiveness (10) Sure, there are fewer factory workers, but thanks to increased automation and a shift to higher-value work, the value of US manufactured goods has grown by 50 percent since 1990.

Jim Womack of the Lean Enterprise Institute, a nonprofit training center, adds that cheaper labor doesn't necessarily give offshore manufacturers an insurmountable advantage. (11) Whatever cost advantages do exist can vanish quickly if competitors follow suit and set up shop nearby.

But the most compelling reason to build here isn't easily measured in dollars. (12) "The US is good at innovation," he says, "and the only way to become an innovation machine is to closely couple manufacturing with engineering and design." Nosbaum's Itron is an example: a homegrown success that enjoys a 50 percent market in the face of stiff import competition. (13) With input from line workers, Itron has cut labor expenses in half since 1999 to just 8 percent of overall product cost- a rate so low that the wage gap with countries like China has become irrelevant.

The Itron case aside, it does make sense for labor-intensive industries like apparels or furniture making to build in low-wage countries. (14) In those fields, the potential of factory-level innovation far outweighs the benefits of lower wages. In the end, that is where American workers will find lasting opportunity.

A That is not the case in R&D-dependent industries such as biotech, pharmaceuticals, and aerospace, however.

B Productivity gains account for a big chunk of the job shrinkage.

C They can face additional costs from time- to-market delays, airfreight charges, employee travel, and local corruption.

D The company's quality and test engineers roam its factory floor in Waseca, Minn., constantly searching for ways to improve product designs and production efficiency.

E But offshore manufacturing carries hidden costs of its own-in particular, the opportunities you forgo by cutting off access to the wellspring of innovation on your factory floor.

F But it doesn't work in high-tech industries.

G Manufacturing now employs just 11 percent of the US workforce, compared with 30 percent in the 1950s.

H Distance severs what Hanson calls the "tight linkages" between engineers and production workers that spur innovation.

(9)

As thick-skinned elected officials go, FIFA President Joseph S. Blatter is right up there with Bill Clinton. The chief of the Zurich-based group that oversees World Cup soccer hasn't been accused of groping any interns, but that's about all he hasn't been accused of. Vote buying, mismanagement, cronyism—and that's just for starters. Yet the 66- year-old Swiss shows no sign of abandoning his campaign for a second four-year term.

Blatter, a geek of dispensing FIFA'S hundreds of million in annual revenue to inspire loyalty, even stands a good chance of reelection. At least he did. Since mid-March, he has seen a credible challenger emerge in Issa Hayatou, president of the African Football Confederation. Hayatou, a 55-year-old from Cameroon, leads a group of FIFA reformers that also includes FIFA Vice-President Lennart Johansson, a Swede who lost the presidential election Blatter in 1998. These contenders' mission: to end what they call the culture of secrecy and lack of accountability that threatens FIFA with financial disaster.

Representatives of the world's 204 national soccer associations meet in Seoul on May 29, and the rebels are given a chance of unseating Blatter. But even they concede that the FIFA honcho won't be easy to dislodge. Blatter's staying power seems incredible, given the array of misdeeds attributed to him and his circle. However, there are signs that FIFA'S troubles are bigger than Blatter is saying.

The insurgents have already won one victory: They persuaded the rest of the executive board to order an audit of FIFA finances. But Blatter—who claims, through a spokesman, that the accusations are a smear campaign—should not be underestimated. At least publicly, sponsors and member associations remain remarkably silent with the controversy. For example, there is no outward sign of outrage from German sports equipment maker Adidas-Salomon, which is spending much of its $625 million marketing budget on the World Cup. "We don't expect current developments within FIFA to have a negative impact on our expectations" for the World Cup, says Michael Riehl, Adidas head of global sports marketing.

The conventional wisdom is that fans don't care about FIFA politics. Says Bernd Schiphorst, president of Hertha BSC Berlin, a top-ranked German team: "I've no fear that all these discussions are going to touch the event." Still, the Olympic bribery scandals and the doping affair in the Tour de France show that sleazy dealings can stain the most venerable athletic spectacle. "For the Good of the Game" is FIFA'S official motto. The next few months should show whether it rings true.

The writer's attitude toward FIFA President Blatter seems to be that of

A．slight support.

B．high appreciation.

C．strong contempt.

D．reserved consent.

As thick-skinned elected officials go, FIFA President Joseph S. Blotter is right up there with Bill Clinton. The chief of the Zurich-based group that oversees World Cup Soccer hasn't been accused of groping any interns, but that's about all he hasn't been accused of. Vote buying, mismanagement, cronyism-and that's just for starters. Yet the 66-yearold Swiss shows no sign of abandoning his campaign for a second four-year term.

Blatter, a geek of dispensing FIFA's hundreds of million in annual revenue to inspire loyalty, even stands a good chance of reelection. At least he did. Since mid-March, he has seen a credible challenger emerge in Issa Hayatou, president of the African Football Confederation. Hayatou, a 55-year-old from Cameroon, leads a group of FIFA reformers that also includes FIFA Vice-President Lennart Johansson, a Swede who lost the presidential election to Blatter in 1998. These contenders' mission: to end what they call the culture of secrecy and lack of accountability that threatens FIFA with financial disaster.

Representatives of the world's 204 national soccer associations meet in Seoul on May 29, and the rebels are given a chance of unseating Blatter. But even they concede that the FIFA honcho won't be easy to dislodge. Blatter's staying power seems incredible, given the array of misdeeds attributed to him and his circle. However, there are signs that FI FA's troubles are bigger than Blatter is saying.

The insurgents have already won one victory: They persuaded the rest of the executive board to order an audit of FIFA finances. But Blatter—who claims, through a spokesman, that the accusations are a smear campaign—should not be underestimated. At least publicly, sponsors and member associations remain remarkably silent with the controversy. For example, there is no outward sign of outrage from German sports equipment maker Adidas-Salomon, which is spending much of its $625 million marketing budget on the World Cup. "We don't expect current developments within FIFA to have a negative impact on our expectations" for the World Cup, says Michael Riehl, Adidas head of global sports marketing.

The conventional wisdom is that fans don't care about FIFA politics. Says Bernd Schiphorst, president of Hertha BSC Berlin, a top-ranked German team: "I've no fear that all these discussions are going to touch the event. "Still, the Olympic bribery scandals and the doping affair in the Tour de France show that sleazy dealings can stain the most venerable athletic spectacle. "For the Good of the Game" is FIFA's official motto. The next few months should show whether it rings true.

The writer's attitude toward FIFA President Blatter seems to be that of

A．slight support.

B．high appreciation.

C．strong contempt.

D．reserved consent.

As thick-skinned elected officials go, FIFA President Joseph S. Blatter is right up there with Bill Clinton. The chief of the Zurich based group that oversees World Cup soccer hasn't been accused of groping any interns, but that's about all he hasn't been accused of. Vote buying, mismanagement, cronyism—and that's just for starters. Yet the 66-year-old Swiss shows no sign of abandoning his campaign for a second four-year term.

Blatter, a geek of dispensing FIFA'S hundreds of million in annual revenue to inspire loyalty, even stands a good chance of reelection. At least he did. Since mid-March, he has seen a credible challenger emerge in Issa Hayatou, president of the African Football Confederation. Hayatou, a 55-year-old from Cameroon, leads a group of FIFA reformers that also includes FIFA Vice-President Lennart Johansson, a Swede who lost the presidential election to Blatter in 1998. These contenders' mission: to end what they call the culture of secrecy and lack of accountability that threatens FIFA with financial disaster.

Representatives of the world's 204 national soccer associations meet in Seoul on May 29, and the rebels are given a chance of unseating Blatter. But even they concede that the FIFA honcho won't be easy to dislodge. Blatter's staying power seems incredible, given the array of misdeeds attributed to him and his circle. However, there are signs that FIFA'S troubles are bigger than Blatter is saying.

The insurgents have already won one victory: They persuaded the rest of the executive board to order an audit of FIFA finances. But Blatter who claims, through a spokesman, that the accusations are a smear campaign-should not be underestimated. At least publicly, sponsors and member associations remain remarkably silent with the controversy. For example, there is no outward sign of outrage from German sports equipment maker Adidas-Salomon, which is spending much of its $625 million marketing budget on the World Cup. "We don't expect current developments within FIFA to have a negative impact on our expectations" for the World Cup, says Michael Riehl, Adidas head of global sports marketing.

The conventional wisdom is that fans don't care about FIFA politics. Says Bernd Schiphorst, president of Hertha BSC Berlin, a top ranked German team: "I've no fear that all these discussions are going to touch the event". Still, the Olympic bribery scandals and the doping affair in the Tour de France show that sleazy dealings can stain the most venerable athletic spectacle. "For the Good of the Game" is FIFA'S official motto. The next few months should show whether it rings true.

The writer's attitude toward FIFA President Blatter seems to be that of

A．slight support.

B．high appreciation.

C．strong contempt.

D．reserved consent.