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) or (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
      British Aerospace is planning to set up its own university because it cannot recruit the skilled graduates it needs from existing institutions. http://tr.hjenglish.com/

      BAe has a team drafting a range of options for the university, which would award its own degrees. Work on the scheme is expected to start in the next few months.

      Sir Richard Evans, chief executive of British Aerospace, has already launched a recruiting drive for engineers on the Continent because of a shortage of high-calibre domestic candidates. Advertising campaigns in France, Germany and other European countries will seek to attract students expecting to graduate in the summer. http://tr.hjenglish.com/

      Other engineering employers are expe3cted to follow suit. The move to take on overseas graduates comes after BAe left one in five of its graduate places unfilled last year, blaming shortcomings in the education system.

      If the scheme is approved, BAe will either build a full university or incorporate sites at its main research and manufacturing centres at Farnborough, Surrey, and Warton, Lancashire. The company would have to convince the education authorities that the university had sufficient teaching capacity and autonomy for it to be allowed to award degrees. BAe said it was setting up its own education system and recruiting staff abroad because "there is a shortage of engineering graduates, both in terms of quantity and quality".

      The Engineering Employers' Federation said that skill shortages were an urgent problem. Rolls-Royce, another large engineering employer, said there was a general skill shortage, although it had filled its graduate quota. Rolls will soon recruit internationally to reflect  its expanding international operations.

      Engineering's failure to attract students has been attributed to poor pay and long-term prospects, given the decline in British manufacturing. BAe would not reveal how much it pays graduates, but Lucas Variety, a large engineering employer, paid a starting salary of ￡14,200 last year. That compares  with an average graduate starting salary of ￡15,300, according to Income Data Services.

      British universities have found it increasingly difficult to recruit well-qualified undergraduates. Even Oxford and Cambridge fail to meet their  quotas in many engineering subjects.

      Alan Smithers, whose Centre for Education and Employment Research, at Brunel University, produced a report on the supply of science and engineering graduates early this year, said that the discipline had been over expanded. "There is now a lack of quality to withstand competition in an increasingly international sphere. Companies go where they can find the best candidates."

      Engineering does not enjoy the high status in Britain that it occupies in other parts of the world. Courses in other parts of Europe and the Far East  command among the highest entry requirements of all degree subjects and take five years, rather than the norm of three in Britain. http://tr.hjenglish.com/

1. British Aerospace is recruiting engineers on the Continent ______.
   (A) as the pay for them can be much lower
   (B) as there are not enough well-qualified candidates at home
   (C) to compete with France, Germany and other European countries
   (D) to set up a university of its own.
2. In the passage, the expression "to follow suit" in the sentence "Other engineering employers are expected to follow suit" (para. 4) can best be paraphrased as _______.
   (A) tojoin BAe in its recruiting scheme            (B) to take the unanimous action
   (C) to recruit graduates overseas                  (D) to establish universities
3. Which of the following is NOT the reason that engineering courses fail to attract British students?
   (A) The decline of British manufacturing industry.
   (B) The recruitment of engineers abroad.
   (C) The lower pay for engineering graduates.
   (D) The long and slow process of success and promotion after graduation.
4. "Oxford" and "Cambridge" are mentioned in the passage to show that _______.
   (A) they are the world famous universities.
   (B) they are not cooperating with British Aerospace
   (C) they are reforming the engineering education
   (D) they can not fulfil their recruitment quotas in engineering
5. Which of the following best summarizes the main idea of the passage?
   (A) There should be further cooperation between British Aerospace and Higher Institutions
   (B) Shortage of engineers leads BAe to plan its own university
   (C) British Higher Education has recently been reevaluated
   (D) British Engineering education is severely criticized for its lack of quality

Question 6~10 http://tr.hjenglish.com/
     In an unprecedented trans-European strike, Renault workers yesterday staged simultaneous stoppages in France, Belgium and  Spain to protest against the car maker's decision to close its factory at Vilvoorde in Belgium and cut 6,000 jobs.

     Despite union fury and a storm of criticism from French politicians and the European Commission, Louis Schweitzer, the Renault chairman, insisted that the closure of the Belgian factory in July with the loss of 3,100 jobs was traumatic but necessary. "It's a brutal, hard and painful decision," Mr.Schweitzer said. "If we do nothing, the company will be."

     Up to one third of workers downed tools for one hour during each shift in Paris and other parts of France, while Belgian demonstrators from the threatened Vilvoorde plant massed outside the French Embassy in Brussels and threw a car chassis across police barricades. Belgian Renault dealers across the country joined the protest by shutting up shop.

     The Renault board has approved a plan to shed an additional 2,764 jobs in France, where stoppages began overnight at the Renault factory in Le Mans, and continued yesterday at plants in Cleon, Sandouville and Douai. http://tr.hjenglish.com/

     About 90 per cent of workers at four Renault plants in Spain downed tools for one hour and employees at factories operated in Belgium by General Motors, Volkswagen, Ford, Opel and Volvo also staged one-hour strikes in solidarity with their Renault counterparts. http://tr.hjenglish.com/

     Workers at Renault plants in Portugal, however, did not respond to the strike call.

     Union leaders last night hailed the so-called "Eurostrike" as proof of cross-border workers' unity in the face of glaring gaps in European social legislation. http://tr.hjenglish.com/

     Mr. Schweitzer suggested that a new use might be found for the Vilvoorde factory and that some workers may be transferred to other plants, but he showed no sign of backing off from the radical restructuring plan.

     Critics claim that he is callously taking advantage of different labour  costs across Europe, and on Thursday Karl Van Miert, the European Commissioner, announced he was blocking Spanish investment subsides for Renault on the grounds that it was "absurd" to close the profitable Belgian plant.

      The Spanish Government yesterday decided to suspend its request for approval of an 8 million subsidy it had planned to provide for a Renault investment in Valladolid.

      The management of the newly-privatised French automaker claims that the Vilvoorde plant was singled out because it has the highest production costs.
 
      While President Chirac of France has expressed "shock" at the abrupt way the closure was announced, as Mr. Schweitzer pointed out "the French Government has not said that the decision should be altered, corrected or that it was not good for the company".

6. The Belgians demonstrated outside the French Embassy in Brussels ______.
   (A) to protest against French President Chirac's speech
   (B) to support French workers' strike at Renault plants
   (C) to protest against the closure of the Vilvoorde factory by the French car maker
   (D) to voice their solidarity with all Renault workers
7. It can be concluded from the passage that ______.
   (A) about 6,000 jobs will be cut from the Renault factory at Vilvoorde in Belgium
   (B) one third of workers in the Vilvoorde factory will lose their jobs
   (C) about 6,000 workers will be laid off from Renault factories in Belgium and France
   (D) the strikes at Renault plants in Belgium and France will lead to a dismissal of about 6,000 workers
8. According to the passage, the workers at  factories operated in Belgium by General Motors, Volkswagen, Ford, Opel and Volvo staged strikes _____.
   (A) to protest against the closure of their plants
   (B) to demand higher wages
   (C) to demand more subsidies from their governments
   (D) to support workers in Renault plants
9. The expression "was singled out" (para. 11) can be replaced by which of the following?
   (A) was closed down                                    (B) was chosen
   (C) was reconstructed                                  (D) was separated
10.Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?
   (A) Renault workers in several European countries staged strike against the closure of the Vilvoorde factory.
   (B) The French Government planned to take action to change the decision of the Renault board.
   (C) The decision to close the Renault factory in Vilvoorde met strong criticism from different circles.
   (D) The labour costs of automobile industry vary greatly from country to country, even in Europe.          

Question 11~15
     The Australian art world swooned when they saw the work of "Aboriginal" painter Eddie Burrup, whose haunting canvases depicted Aboriginal "Dreamtime" legends.

     The only trouble is, Eddie Burrup does not exist. He is a figment of the imagination of an 82-year-old white woman whose hoax has embarrassed the   cognoscenti and infuriated the nation's indigenous artists. Not since Brisbane literary award winner, Helen Demidenko, admitted she fooled the publishing world in 1995 by assuming a false identity, have Australia's artistic elite been so humbled.

     The elderly painter who so successfully pulled the wool over everyone's eyes, is in fact Elizabeth  Durack, a pastoralist, author and amateur   anthropologist who lives in the remote Kimberley region of Western Australia. Under Burrup's fictitious name, she produced a range of critically acclaimed    work, including paintings, photographs and even an autobiography. Everyone assumed Burrup was recluse living a hermit's existence in the Outback.

     "His" creations were so impressive that they even featured in a touring Aboriginal art show. This month some of the works were due to be entered for the highly respected Sulman Prize, to be announced on March 21. But after yesterday's revelation "Burrup's" work will almost certainly be withdrawn.

     Durack, of Irish descent, is a member of one of the country's most famous pioneering families. She is a well-know painter in her own right and confessed to her deception in an arts magazine, but refused to explain her motivation. "It's my last creative phase," was all she would say.

     However, art historian Robert Smith, a close family friend, defended her actions. "she has created a character,just a playwright or a poet or a novelist will create a character," he said. "She hasn't appropriated any motifs or themes, or forms of Aboriginal art at all," he insisted.

     Members of the Aboriginal art community were less forgiving, claiming she had stolen indigenous culture. "It's the last thing left that you could possibly take away other than our lives or shoot us all." John Mundine, an Aboriginal art curator, said. Doreen Mellor, senior curator at Flinders Art Museum in Adelaide, said: "As an Aboriginal person I feel really offended."

     Ironically, the Durack family probably has a deeper knowledge of Aboriginal affairs than many other white settlers, having lived among Australia's indigenous people in Kimberley for nearly 180 years. In the last century the Duracks had a reputation as the only family of pastoralists who did not shoot Aborigines.

11.According to the passage. Eddie Burrup _______.
   (A) is an 82-year-old female painter
   (B) has long fascinated the Australian art world
   (C) has lived in Western Australia for many years
   (D) is an imaginary male Aboriginal painter
12.According to the passage, the Australian artistic circles ______.
   (A) highly appreciate the work of Eddie Burrup
   (B) do not cosider Durack to be an artist
   (C) felt cheated by the trick of Elizabeth Durack
   (D) acknowledged Durack's contribution to the Aboriginal art
13. It can be concluded from the passage that ______.
   (A) Durack imitated paintings from other Aboriginal artists
   (B) Durack lacked confidence in her own painting skills
   (C) Durack knew much about Aboriginal culture
   (D) Durack devoted all her life to the creation of Eddie Burrup
14. The word "appropriated" in the sentence "She hasn't appropriated any motifs or themes, or forms of Aboriginal art at all," (para. 6) can be replaced by which of the following?
   (A) made proper use of                                  (B) used as her own invention
   (C) imitated and copied                                 (D) studied and designed
15.Which of the following can NOT be inferred from the passage?
   (A) Many white men killed or injured the native people in Australia in the last century.
   (B) The Durack family have been hostile to Australia's natives.
   (C) The Aboriginal artists criticised Durack's deceptive behaviour.
   (D) Some people felt sympathetic with Durack after the revelation of her deception.

Question 16~20
      The medical world was thrown into confusion yesterday when a judge ruled that food and hydration could be withdrawn from a 29-year-old woman, even though doing so would not strictly follow rules laid down by the Royal College of Physicians.

      The woman, known as Miss D, was suffering a "living death" and the time had come for "merciful relief," said Sir Stephen Brown, President of the High Court Family Division.

      The case breaks new ground because in previous cases where doctors have applied to turn off life-support machines of seriously brain-damaged patients, the victims have been in a "persistent vegetative state"(PVS).

     Miss D was not considered by experts to be in a PVS because she could track movement with her eyes and responded to cold water being poured into her ears.

     James Munby QC, who was appointed to represent the woman's interests, told Sir Stephen that the reason the Royal College had been anxious to identify what he had called a "bright line" over which the boundaries should not be pushed was because there was always a danger of going down a "slippery  slope". But the judge, in his ruling said that all the consultants, doctors, medical team and family were agreed that Miss D had no awareness of her surroundings or herself, and all the evidence was that there was  "no possibility of any meaningful life whatsoever". Sir Stephen said that he did not feel he was altering the boundaries of who could be allowed to die. "I am driven to the conclusion... that it is in this patient's best interest to withdraw the artificial feeding and hydration which is keeping her body alive."

     But the judgement was condemned by the anti-euthanasia group. Alert, which said the "barbaric practice" of cutting off life support systemsb to braindamaged patients should be banned. Dr.Peggy Norris, chairwoman of Alert, said: "Withholding food and fluids from a person capable of experiencing thirst had been used as a form of torture."

      The British Medical Association took the vies, however, that the judgement did not extend the categories of patients from whom nutrition and hydration  can be withdrawn. "It is an acknowledgment that it would be ethically acceptable to consider withdrawal of nutrition and hydration from and individual who has permanently lost his or her sentience and awareness," a spokesman said.

      Miss D was at university when she was seriously injured in a road accident in 1989. She recovered enough to walk round in familiar surroundings, but in 1995 was found unconscious in her bed, probably having had an epileptic fit. She has never subsequently recovered consciousness.

      This week her feeding tube had become dislodged, and a small operation would have been needed to replace it. Consequently the hospital trust caring for her had applied to the court for a declaration that it was lawful to "discontinue all life sustaining treatment." Its request was upheld.

      A spokesman for the Royal College of Physicians said the decision had caused confusion. "We set up a working group to produce guidelines, in order to help doctors in a difficult situation. But they are only guidelines and thejudge is not obliged to follow them. Thejudgement does not change them, but it seems to be leading to some uncertainty among doctors."

16. The case which concerns Miss D is mainly about ______.
   (A) whether she was in a "persistent vegetative state"
   (B) if she should be given further medical treatment
   (C) which method to be used to recover her consciousness
   (D) whether the withdrawal of food and fluids from her isjustifiable
17. In the passage, the expression "breaks new ground" (para. 3) can be paraphrased as which of the following?
   (A) makes new discoveries                         (B) provides further opportunities
   (C) brings new problems                           (D) makes breakthroughs
18.What is the major issue of the argument according to the passage?
   (A) The redefinition of "persistent vegetative state."
   (B) The stoppage of life sustaining treatment to non PVS patients.
   (C) The ethical issues in treating PVS patients.
   (D) The distinctions between PVS and non PVS patients.
19. It can be concluded that the author of the passage ______.
   (A) gives his personal opinion about the issue in question
   (B) reaches a comprehensive conclusion in the end
   (C) provides a detailed introduction on the issue of euthanasia
   (D) offers an objective report on different views towards the issue
20. According to the spokesman for the Royal College of Physicians, thejudgement has ______.
   (A) set a precedent for future cases
   (B) strictly followed the guidelines set up by the Royal College of Physicians                
   (C) brought about certain confusion in the medical profession
   (D) led to strong opposition in the medical worldhttp://tr.hjenglish.com/