Section A

1.W: This table is reserved for you, sir!

M: Er...Looks like a nice table, but it's too close to the kitchen door.

Question: Where does the conversation most probably take place?

2.M: I saw you on TV yesterday. You were ever so good. You didn't look nervous.

W: To be frank, when it was my turn to speak, I really had my heart in my mouth.

Section A

1.W: This table is reserved for you, sir!

M: Er...Looks like a nice table, but it's too close to the kitchen door.

Question: Where does the conversation most probably take place?

2.M: I saw you on TV yesterday. You were ever so good. You didn't look nervous.

W: To be frank, when it was my turn to speak, I really had my heart in my mouth.

Question: What does the woman mean?

3.M: Shall we go and try that snack bar around the corner?

W: I can't eat a thing. My head aches.

Question: What can we learn about the woman?

4.W: A single room is fifty pounds per night and a double room sixty pounds per night. Stay two nights and you will get another for free.

M: A single room for three nights, please.

Question: How much should the man pay for his room?

5.W: How did you do in the writing contest?

M: If only I had paid more attention to spelling.

Question: What can we learn about the man?

6.M: Hey, Joan. What's up?

W: Nothing much. It's my son. It doesn't seem easy for him to get used to the new school.

Question: How does Joan most probably feel about her son?

7.M: Have you heard from Mary lately? It's said that she is now working as a fitness coach.

W: I got an e-mail from her last week. She has been working at a school since she left our firm.

Question: Who are the two speakers talking about?

8.W: How did the lecture go?

M: Oh, you should have seen those young people. Thirsty for knowledge, drinking in my wisdom.

Question: What does the man mean?

9.M: Look at the menu. Everything looks great. But they are too expensive.

W: Have anything you like. Tom said it's on our boss.

Question: Who will pay the bill?

10.W: David, I got you a present, a solar-powered calculator.

M: I don't need a calculator, Mum. I am one.

Question: What does David imply?

Section B

Questions 11 through 13 are based on the following passage.

The calm waters of Rose Bay in Sydney are disturbed only when a seaplane comes into land and takes off again. （13）In some way, Rose Bay has witnessed the surprising history of flying boats, a type of early seaplane. （11）On 5 July, 1938, an Empire Class flying boat departed from here: Australia's first international airport. It was heading for England and marked the start of the golden age of flying boats. Over ten days with 30 stops along the route， passengers enjoyed first-class service, including breakfasts of fruit, steak, juice and wine. But the flight didn't come cheap. Tickets were far beyond the reach of most Australians, at a price that was equivalent to an annual salary. （12）The service was suspended in 1942 as war took hold, and the planes were officially used by the air force. By the time normal life started again after the war, land-based aircraft had developed rapidly and flying boats were looking increasingly out of date. However, Sydney and its vast waters remained well placed to explore the resources, and so began a new age for the flying boats.

(Now, listen again.)

Questions:

11.When did the golden age of flying boats start?

12.Why was the service of Empire Class flying boats stopped in the early 1940s?

13.What is the speaker mainly talking about?

Questions 14 through 16 are based on the following passage.

According to some psychologists, intelligence is the ability to learn from experience, adapt to new situations, understand and handle abstract concepts and use knowledge to change one's environment. Skills like learning, memory, reasoning and problem-solving enhance these abilities. Therefore, certain habits may be evidence you've got these skills. （14）For example, it is commonly thought that those who are intelligent are organized and have everything in their workspace arranged neatly. But that's not the case.

In an experiment from the University of Minnesota, people in a messy setting came up with more creative ideas than those in a neat space. Kathleen Vohs, study author, says disorderly environments seem to inspire breaking free from tradition, which can produce fresh ideas. Orderly environments, in contrast, encourage following traditions and playing it safe. （15）But according to Jonathan Wai, a research scientist at Duke University, creativity is one of the qualities that smart people tend to possess and may actually lead to messiness. He says, （16）"It's not messiness that helps creativity, but creativity which may create messiness. Such people tend to get lost in thought while focusing on a problem or issue, and cleanliness becomes of less importance than focusing on a problem at hand."

(Now, listen again.)

Questions:

14.According to the passage, what are intelligent people like in most people's eyes?

15.According to Jonathan Wai from Duke University, which of the following statements is true?

16.What is the passage mainly about?

Questions 17 through 20 are based on the following conversation.

W: James, have you read about the new research into the human brain?

M: Not yet. What does it say?

W: It says men are better at some things like map reading and finding direction while women are better at other things like remembering words and faces.

M: Interesting. Now I understand why I am the one in my family who does all the map reading.

W: （17）The research was done by a team from the University of Pennsylvania. They looked at the brains of nearly 1,000 men and women and found they are wired differently.

M: (17)Wired differently? You mean "connected in different ways"?

W: (17)Right. （18）In males, the stronger connections run within each half of the brain. In women, the stronger connections are between the two sides of the brain.

M: I see.

W: The difference might explain why men are better at learning and performing a single task, like reading maps or cycling. （19）But women are often better at doing several things at the same time. They can also concentrate on a task for longer.

M: Now I can understand why I cannot do several things together.

W: （20）But not everyone agrees. A professor from the University of Oxford said the connections inside the brain are not permanently fixed and the brain is very complex. Without sufficient data, you can't jump to any general conclusions.

M: I guess the professor is right.

(Now, listen again.)

Questions:

17.What is the conversation mainly about?

18.Compared with women's brains, what does the new research find out about men's brains?

19.According to the new research, which of the following are women better at?

20.What does the professor from the University of Oxford think of the new research findings?