Listening Comprehension 1
Questions 1 to 5 are based on the followingconversation.
M: Do you come from a particularly musical family?
W: Not really, my family are farming people and my parents have always lived on farms. My oldest brother is a born farmer and my second brother works on a farm too, but he’s also got an office job to do with agriculture. And so they appreciate music, but they don’t really know much about classical, in invertedcommas, that sort of things. They appreciate perhaps Scottish traditional music more and they like a good tune. And if they can trace a tune, and they can tap their feet tune or clap tune. They are quite happy, but they don’t know about Stravinsky or something like that. Then they are quite lost.
M: Why did you choose percussion? I mean, it’s not the obvious thing even for a musical student to choose.
W: No, but I liked it. I was always keen on percussion. Clarinet and percussion were my two instruments, and I like the sheer variety. But I feel I was very much influenced by a local girl who played the xylophone. And she was absolutely brilliant. And I just said “gosh, I want to do that too.” But then I discovered that percussion didn’t just consist of xylophone, it consisted of a lot more and so I liked that as well. And so, that’s how it really all began.
M: You started to play percussion quite young?
W: Yes, that’s when I was at secondary school at the age of 12. I had a bit of job actually, starting percussion. Because when you are a pupil at school, you all go through a music oral test, and which is done through a tape recorder. And you just listen and you write down answers, things like that. And afterwards, when I asked if I could play percussion, the obvious reaction of my teachers was “Well, look at these marks, they are not good”. But I said, “Well, really? I play the piano”. That was the only thing I could back myself up with. Until eventually he said, “Well, the percussion teacher happens to be at school today. Perhaps she might want to go through and see what he says”. And so the percussion teacher said, “Well, I can’t really see why she shouldn’t be playing percussion”. And so it’s really just gone from there. But at the time,they didn’t know that I was wearing hearing aids and this sort of thing. And so when I told them, their reactionwas much different. You know what I mean?
M: They didn’t know that when they gave you the test?
W: Oh, no, and I refuse to tell anyone. Rightly or wrongly, I’m not sure. But certainly, that was the case. That’s how it all started really.
Questions:
1. Which type of family does the woman come from?
2. What kind of music does the woman say her family likes most?
3. Which of the following instruments does the woman play?
4. When did she start to play the musical instrument she’s talking about now?
5. Which of the following statements is true according to the conversation?
【解析】高口第一篇听力理解，主题是采访音乐人怎样开始play percussion的。文章难度中下，只有几个乐器名词和古典音乐人名，不影响理解。建议考生在听力过程中，多加留意题目的关键词语。 clarinet n. 单簧管;percussion n. 打击乐器;xylophone n. 木琴。
Listening Comprehension 2
Question 6 to 10 are based on the following news.
Washington, the United Sates
President Barack Obama is set to announce a $3billion plan to boost food security and farm productivity in Africa, US officials say.
They say the initiative is aimed at alleviating shortages as world food supplies are being stretched by risingdemand in Asia’s emerging markets. Food security is expected to be on the agenda of this weekend’s G-8 meeting.
The summit near Washington is being dominated by Europe’s debt crisis and a possible Greek exit from the euro zone.
The head of the US Agency for International Development (USAID), Rajiv Shah, said the move shows the administration’s commitment to boosting world food production as rising wealth in Asia drives consumption.
【文章大意】
文章讲述奥巴马政府投入三十亿美元刺激非洲的食品安全和生产。美国国籍开发署的领导人拉吉夫沙阿称，随着亚洲经济推动着消费，政府的这一举动显示了对于促进世界粮食生产的承诺。
boost：v. 促进，增加
initiative：n. 倡议;主动权
alleviate：n. 减轻
agenda：n. 议程
Madrid, Spain
Spain’s government called for calm Friday, a day after rating agency Moody’s downgraded 16 Spanish banks in the latest sign of distress in Europe. Among those who saw their ratings lowered were the countries two largest banks.
At a Cabinet meeting Friday, Spanish ministers agreed that the top priority regarding the economy is controlling the deficit.
The downgrades come amid rising concerns about the political and economic turmoil in Greece, and the potential ripple effect of that crisis on nations like Spain and Italy that are struggling with low growth and big debts.
Moreover, the real-estate crisis that began in 2008 is ongoing, and unemployment has risen to very high levels, with rising risks to white-collar employment affecting the outlook for banks’ household lending.
【文章大意】
穆迪公司将16家西班牙银行的等级调低之后，西班牙内阁会议通过当前经济最紧要的是控制赤字。
top priority：当务之急
turmoil：n. 混乱
Sao Paulo, Brazil
President Dilma Rousseff plans to cut and simplify taxes for electricity producers, two seniorofficials told Reuters, as part of a strategy to reduce Brazil’s high business costs and stimulateits struggling economy.
Brazil has been on the brink of recession since mid-2011 as high taxes, an overvalued exchangerate and other structural problems squeeze what had previously been one of the world’s mostdynamic emerging economies.
Rousseff has in recent months announced targeted tax cuts for stagnant sectors such as the automotive industry, embracing an incremental approach to reform that has drawn criticism from investors who say more drastic changes are needed.
【文章大意】
这篇文章讲述巴西政府为企业减税从而刺激经济。
be on the brink：濒临
squeeze：v. 压榨
stagnant：adj. 停滞的;不景气的
drastic：adj. 激烈的;猛烈的
New York, the United States
Children from racial and ethnic minorities now account for more than half the births in the US, according to estimates of the latest US census data.
Black, Hispanic, Asian and mixed-race births make up 51% of new arrivals in the year ending in July 2011.
It puts non-Hispanic white births in the minority for the first time.
Sociologists believe the ongoing economic slowdown has contributed to a greater decline in birth rates among white people.
The US Census Bureau recorded 2million babies born to minorities in the year to July 2011, just over half of all births, compared with 37% in 1990.
US birth rates have been declining, but the drop has been larger for white people.
The nation’s minority population now makes up 36% of the total US population.
【文章大意】
本文的关键词是新生儿数量，通过一系列的数字分析，讲述了在经济危机下，美国的白人新生儿数量下滑。
【评析】
文章没有过多的生词，但要求考生需要把握对于数字的敏感度。
London, the United Kingdom
Oil prices slipped towards $107 a barrel on Friday as investors fled risky, growth-sensitive assets on fears that Greece would leave the euro, although short-covering provided some support for Brent.
Brent crude was down 16 cents to $107.33 a barrel after slipping to its lowest level for the year at
$106.40 earlier in the session.
Traders and analysts said short-covering was providing a floor for Brent futures, but the overalltrend remains to the downside given the uncertainty over what will happen with Greece.
【文章大意】
文章讲述英国布伦特的原油价格下跌。
slip down：下滑
short-covering：空头回补
Questions:
6. Which of the following is not expected to be on the agenda of this weekend’s G-8 summitmeeting near Washington?
7. After Moody lowered the ratings of Spanish banks, what is the top priority regarding the economy as agreed by Spanish ministers?
8. What dose Brazilian President plan to do to stimulate its struggling economy?
9. What can we know from the news about the new-born population in the United States?
10. At what price did Brent Crude Oil end Friday on London market?