SECTION 2: LISTENING TEST (30 minutes)

Directions:  In this section you will read several passages. Each one is followed by several questions about it. You are to choose ONE best answer, (A), (B), (C), (D), to each question. Answer all the questions following each passage on the basis of what is stated or implied in that passage and write the letter of the answer you have chosen in the corresponding space in your ANSWER BOOKLET.

Questions 1～5 //tr.hjenglish.com
     A leaked Barclays Bank document reveals that organization has become a byword for corporate greed explains why consumers hate it so much. Drawn up after unprecedented public relations disasters, the 25-page dossier tells how one of Britain's biggest and most valuable brand names became sullied. It says the attempt to introduce cash machine charges and the decision to close 170 rural branches this year marked the start of an annus horribilis.

      It concludes that the bank's brand name now symbolises “a culture of greed”and consumers rightly regard many of its products as “substandard and expensive”. The secret report was ordered by Matthew Barrett, Barclays' chief executive, who was appointed just before the trouble started and has bodyguards to protect him when he leaves his office, “I feel very strongly that there is an urgent need to change the change the management of communications to help facilitate a more positive image, ”Barrett wrote in a memo copied to a select group of executives, including Sir Peter Middleton, the chairman, on May 8.

      The resulting document-Project Phoenix, PR and Image Restoration Plan 2000—was produced in June. It notes that public relations difficulties caused by the cash machine and closure announcements were “exacerbated” by a critical Treasury report on banking and the disclosure of Barclays executive pay scheme. The latter showed Barrett received ￡1. 3m for his first three months' work and had secured share options worth up to ￡30m.

       “The almost contemporaneous set of events resulted in a media feeding frenzy, ” says the report. “The group is seen by many...as the ringleader of anti-consumer measures. ”It concludes that the barrage of bad publicity has had “a significant impact”on Barclays brand image, It says the public regards the bank as “generating excessive profits”and creating a “culture of greed. ” Consumers view its products as “substandard and expensive, ”shareholders being put before customers and staff. //tr.hjenglish.com

      The report admits: “Many of the group's products and services do not meet the demanding requirements of the Barclays brand and today's highly competitive financial services industry. ” Steps to rebuild the Barclays name include a scheme to regain favour in areas where the bank has closed branches and lost influence as a result.

      Ten model employees will be parachuted into rural hot spots to charm local dignitaries. The agents, dubbed “the smoothies” by insiders, will be recruited of their “social skills”, says the report. They will be given titles conferring the “appropriate authority for liaising with MPs, MPs and the media”. They will infiltrate Rotary clubs and other groups to create a positive presence, say sources. “The (agent) would need to have strong communication skills, ”says the report, which puts a ￡1m total cost on the project. “(He) would be a modern manager with the ability to project the new face of financial services, always being on brand and on message. ”

      * Compiling a database of good news items so that one positive story about Barclays is released every month. //tr.hjenglish.com

      * Making media-friendliness a “core skill requirement” for newly recruited senior executives, while ensuring that Barrett's future exposure to the media is “managed carefully. ”

      * Establishing “a proper audit trail for the receipt, review and release of all external and internal communications”to prevent leaks.

      Eddy Weatherill, director of the Independent Banking Advisory Service, attacked Barclays for tackling its problems with tricks rather than substance. “They need to do something about their image but cheap trickery will get them nowhere,” he said.

1.According to the passage, Barclays Bank is facing difficulties because_____.
   (A) it is losing its profits
   (B) it has disclosed a secret report about its poor image
   (C) it is losing many of its best employees
   (D) it has received much criticism from its consumers
2. The word “exacerbated ”in the sentence “It notes that relations difficulties. ..were ‘exacerbated’” in the sentence “It notes that public relations difficulties...were ‘exacerbated’ by a Treasury report on banking...”(Para. 3)can be replaced by_____.
   (A) improved                              (B) aggravated
   (C) criticised                            (D) questioned
3.  According to the passage, the new schemes suggested in Project Phoenix, PR and Image Restoration Plan 2000_____.
   (A) show that Barclays Bank fully realises its problems
   (B) are designed to change the Bank's image
   (C) meet stronger criticisms from the public
   (D) can never be realised as they are too radical
4.  Which of the following is implied, but not directly stated, in the “expression ensuring the Barrett's future exposure to the media is `managed carefully' ”?
   (A) His future exposure to the public must be positive.
   (B) His current image is greatly challenged.
   (C) His exposure to the public until now has often been negative.
   (D) His overall image is totally unacceptable to customers.
5. According to Eddy Weatherill, Barclays Bank_____.
   (A) should take substantial measures to improve its image
   (B) is using its brand name to win more customers
   (C) is dealing with its problems seriously
   (D) always used tricks to cheat the public              

Questions 6～10 //tr.hjenglish.com
     At least 100 women have been mistakenly implanted with another couple's embryo or suffered the loss of embryos because of incompetence by infertility clinics. An internal audit of the clinics has revealed often chaotic procedures which mean women's hopes of motherhood are dashed by the errors of clinic staff. Cases uncovered by The Sundays Times include:

     * Deborah Gray, 40, from Strangford Lough, Co Down, who was told that she had been implanted with the wrong embryo by mistake. She had an abortion.

     * Deborah Mia, 37, from Dagenham in Essex, whose five remaining frozen embryos were thrown away last year even though she had begun treatment for them to be implanted.

     * A woman who wasted eight years of her fertile life undergoing treatment at various London hospitals, before doctors realised she had a contraceptive coil in her womb.

     The cases have come to light following she had a contraceptive coil in her womb. Authority (HFEA), which polices the 118 IVF clinics in Britain. The report, based on a sample of 1,400 IVF treatments and 700 sperm donor inseminations, records disruptions to power supplies at “various ”centers, leading to loss of undisclosed numbers of fresh embryos in incubators. It also describes mistakes in data collection, including errors in the names of patients and their families, the inaccurate recording of skin colour of ethnic group of sperm donors, and the reporting of nonexistent pregnancies.

     Bert Stewart, a senior embryologist and former HFEA inspector who now works in Auckland, New Zealand, estimated that one in 1, 000 test-tube babies may have been implanted in the wrong, meaning at least 25 to 30 IVF children in Britain are being brought up by someone other than their genetic mother. “IF you have a slack checking system, it might take a long time before you realise you have made a mistake. Good clinics have systems where you can spot a mistake straight away, ”he said.

     Another HFEA inspector estimated that at least 100 women had been affected by IVF errors. Gray sued the Royal Victoria hospital in Belfast for personal injury and damage after she discovered that she had been mistakenly implanted with an embryo from another woman. After the abortion she received an out-of-court settlement from the hospital. This weekend the Royal Victoria said procedures had been tightened up and there have been no similar mistakes.

     Findlay decided to abandon any further attempts to have a child after Leicester Bupa hospital threw away her last embryo following three failed attempts at IVF treatment. The embryo was allegedly part of a batch for which the labels were lost. Doctors decided to destroy the batch to avoid couples getting the wrong ones. “Losing it is like a bereavement, ”said Findlay, who received ￡2,000.

     Bupa said Findlay's case was a rare and unfortunate accident: “There was only one other woman's embryos involved in the loss and she accepted that the incident was an accident.” The cases have come to light following investigations into the scandal of the Hampshire Clinic in Basingstoke, Berkshire, where up to 40 women discovered that embryos believed to be in storage did not exist. Paul Fielding, the embryologist involved, has been released on police bail during an inquiry into what went wrong. The HFEA denied that there were widespread problems in infertility clinics and said any errors were a tiny fraction of the total number of IVF treatments.

6. The errors of IVF clinics include all of the following EXCEPT.
   (A) the implanting with the embryo from another woman
   (B) cruel treatment causing death of new-born babies
   (C) the throwing away of the frozen embryos
   (D) careless treatment leading to the loss of women's fertile life
7. The word “polices”in the clause “which polices the 118 IVF clinics in Britain”(Pare.6) can be paraphrased as.
   (A) patrols                                   (B) assists
   (C) controls                                  (D) investigates
8. According to the passage, in Britain there are probably women/families who have received IVF treatments.
   (A) between 25 and 30                        (B) 1 400
   (C) fewer than 2 500                          (D) about 30 000
9. When Diana Findlay says “Losing it is like a bereavement,”(Para.9) she means that.
   (A) the destruction of the batch is equivalent to murdering
   (B) the loss of the labels of the batch is a big error
   (C) the killing of the test-tube baby is against the law
   (D) the throwing away of her last embryo equals the death of a family member
10.Which of the following can NOT be true according to the passage?
   (A) Errors with IVF treatments are under investigation in New Zealand.
   (B) Mistakes in data collection can cause vital consequences.
   (C) Errors of IVF clinics have led to a number of lawsuits.
   (D) Some women will never become mothers due to errors of clinic staff.

Questions 11～15 //tr.hjenglish.com
      The actual date on which Robert Thompson and Jon Venables will be released is now firmly in the hands of the parole board in the wake of Lord Woolf's controversial ruling. A special three-person panel, which must include a judge and psychiatrist, will have the difficult task of satisfying themselves that the two 18-year-olds no longer pose a danger to the public and that each has shown appropriate remorse for their killing of James Bulger.

      The parole board yesterday began its preparations, including drawing up a dossier on each of the teenagers, for oral hearings to be held in each of the local authority secuer units in the north of England where they are being held. Probation officers will talk to James Bulger's parents and ensure their views are included in each dossier. Each boy will be present at the “informal inquisitorial hearings”which will decide their future. At the same time, an application will be made by their lawyers next month in the high court before Dame Elizabeth Butler Sloss seeking new injunctions banning the media from disclosing details about them, even though they are now adults.    
             
      If Dame Elizabeth decides to grant them this anonymity it will be the first time that child criminals have been given such protection since case of Mary Bell in 1968. The right to a private life enshrined in the newly incorporated European convention on human rights is bound to figure strongly in next month's case. Mary Bell was jailed at the age of 11 for the murder of two young children and served 12 years before her release. She managed to remain out of the public eye until two years ago when a book was published about her life and the Sun newspaper found her. She was subsequently given police protection.

       “A key element will be to ensure their safety and protection,” said Paul Cavadino of the National Association for the Care and Resettlement of Offenders, “Recent experience tells us that if they were to be named and shamed by the media, it would put them, and anyone else who resembles them, at grave risk of vigilante attacks.”As Lord Woolf observed, when he ruled yesterday that their further detention would not serve any constructive purpose, their release will not end their punishment. In fact their release on license is likely to mean that they will spend years under the supervision of the criminal justice system.

      But it will be the question of preserving their anonymity which will prove the most difficult. A new injunction protecting their privacy is likely to mean new names, new birth own lives sufficiently to be convincing. This new identity will apply not only to them but could also apply to members of their immediate family as well.

      It is highly unlikely that a positive parole board decision would lead to Thompson and Venables returning to Liverpool. Instead, they will be sent ot start new lives in a different part of England. A unique release and supervision plan will now be prepared to ensure that they can resettle into the outside world. The only people who will know their true identity will be a very tight circle of those directly involved in their continuing therapy and other programmes to ensure they do not offend again.

      Those who they go to work with or study with will not know who they are. However, there will be a police surveillance operation for both of them with a panic button in their homes in case a sudden problem arises. As to their future lives, Thompson is believed to have gained 5 GCSEs and has been studying for A-levels and shown an aptitude for computer studies, art and design, and has considered taking an Open University degree course. Less is known about Venables's educational achievements.

      According to Lord Woolf, both have maintained contact with their families, Jon Venables benefiting from the continued interest of his parents and Robert Thompson from the attentions of his mother. Lord Woolf also pointed out that, apart form their own welfare, there was also a public interest in ensuring that what had been achieved in their upbringing is not wasted. Society, he said, had invested considerable energy and skilled care in their upbringing. A great deal of money must have been expended upon them. This commitment should be built upon. But for both of them life outside will mean years of supervision after a very difficult period of reintegration: It will be like being on a witness protection programme for the rest of their lives, ”said one criminal justice system source last night.

11. According to the passage, Robert Thompson and Jon Venables_____________________.
   (A) are the pseudonyms of two young criminals
   (B) will be given a life sentence for killing James Bulger
   (C) have had no contact with their families since their imprisonment
   (D) will face much difficulty after their release
12. Mary Bell is mentioned in the passage because_____________________.
   (A) she was the youngest criminal in England
   (B) she remained out of the public eye after her release
   (C) her case relates to the issue of protecting child criminals
   (D) her case reveals the basic nature of all child crimes
13. To preserve the anonymity of the two 18-year-olds means all of the following have to be changed EXCEPT.
   (A) their original names             (B) their health service numbers
   (C) their educational background     (D) their family histories
14. Which of the following can be concluded according to the passage?
   (A) Thompson and Venables will return to their home town Liverpool after release.
   (B) Thompson and Venables will use some other names for the rest of their life.
   (C) Thompson and Venables will complete their university degree course and find professional jobs.
   (D) Thompson and Venables will live with their families under police protection.
 15.Which of the following expresses the main idea of the passage?
   (A) New identities will probably protect the privacy of the two young criminals after their release.
   (B) The parole board will decide the actual date of the release of the two 18-year-olds.
   (C) The anonymity of the two young criminals after release will lead to the revision of related laws.
   (D) Robert Thompson and Jon Venables will still be legally punished even after their release.

Questions 16～20 //tr.hjenglish.com
      Are Americans a nation of frivolous divorcers who selfishly pursue the bluebird of happiness, oblivious to their children's needs? Divorce opponents like Judith Wallerstein seem to think most parents see divorce as a marvelous opportunity for the whole family. How immature do they think people are? All over America , unhappy spouses lie awake at night wondering if they and their kids can afford divorce financially, socially, emotionally. Where will they live, how will they pay the bills , will the kids fall apart, will there be a custody battle, what will their families say? The very fact that so many people leave their marriage for a future with so many pitfalls proves that divorce is anything but a whim. Most people I know who split up (not to mention my ex and me) spent years working up to it.

      In her new book, Wallerstein argues that children don't care if their parents are happy－they just want the stability of a two parent household, without which they would later flail through adulthood and have a hard time forming good relationships. This conclusion, like her other gloomy generalizations(Parenting erodes almost inevitably at the breakup and does not get restored for years, if ever), is based on a small, nonrepresentative sample of families who were going through divorce in 1971 in affluent Marin County, Calif. Wallerstein looks for evidence that divorce harms kids, and of course she finds it －now well into their mid-30s, her interviewees still blame their parents' breakup for every rock on the path to fulfillment－but the very process of participating in a famous on-going study about the effects of divorce encourages them to see their lives through that lens. What if she had spent as much time studying children whose parents had terrible marriages but stayed together for the kids? How many children of divorce feel overly responsible for their parents' happiness. But what about the burden of knowing that one or both of your parents endured years of misery－for you?

     As a matter of fact, we know the answer to that question. The baby boomers, who helped divorce become mainstream, were the products of exactly the kind of marriages the anti-divorcers approve of-the child-centered unions of the 1950s, when parents, especially Mom, sacrificed themselves on the altar of family values and suburban respectability. To today's anti-divorcers those may seem like good enough”marriages full of depressed and bitter people. Nor does it need more pundits blaming women for destroying the family”with what are, after all, reasonable demands for equality and self-development. We need to acknowledge that there are lots of different way to raise competent and well-adjusted children, which—as, according to virtually every family researcher who has worked with larger and more representative samples than Wallerstein's tiny handful－the vast majority of kids of divorce turn out to be. We've learned a lot about how to divorce since 1971. When Mom has enough money and Dad stays connected, when parents stay civil and don't bad-mouth each other, kids do all right. The good enough”divorce－why isn't that ever the cover story?

16. The article can be classified as one of.
   (A) objective commentary                                   (B) detailed narration
   (C) chronological description                              (D) heated argumentation
17. It can be concluded from the passage that“good enough”marriages.
   (A) are the tradition mainly cherished by anti-divorcers
   (B) are the only accepted practice in most American families
   (C) display women's demands for equality and self-development
   (D) reflect the mainstream of baby boomers in America
18.According to the author of the passage, Judith Wallerstein.
   (A) arrivers at her generalizations without investigation
   (B) carries out her investigation with prejudice
   (C) interviews a large number of children of divorce
   (D) only studies the effects of divorce on baby boomers
19. The sentence “We've learned a lot about how to divorce since 1971.” (Para.4) implies all of the following EXCEPT that.
   (A) Americans have changed attitudes towards divorce
   (B) divorce has been more socially accepted since 1971
   (C) the procedures of divorce have become more complicated
   (D) both parents and children have learnt how to cope with divorce
20. The author of the passage holds that.
   (A) the child-centered unions should be continued
   (B) children could never suffer more in“good enough”marriages
   (C) children do not care if their parents are happy or not
   (D) children of divorce can also be competent and well-adjusted