[00:03.81]You'll hear three pieces of recorded material.
[00:08.67]Before listening to each one,
[00:12.12]you'll have time to read the questions related to it.
[00:16.98]While listening,answer each question by choosing A,B,C or D.
[00:23.04]After listening,
[00:25.89]you'll have time to check your answers
[00:30.93]You'll hear each piece once only.
[00:34.77]Questions 11-13
[00:38.84]are based on the following monologue about Nuclear Power.
[00:43.99]You now have 15 seconds to read Questions 11 - 13.
[00:50.47]W:The use of nuclear power to produce electricity
[00:57.26]is not merely an option but a necessity.
[01:01.73]Ever since theIndustrial Revolution,our lives have depended
[01:06.98]increasingly on the use of inanimate energy.
[01:11.73]It has made possible the abolition of slavery,
[01:17.01]and a great reduction of backbreaking physical labor.
[01:21.97]The work week which used to be seventy to 80 hours has been shortened to 40
[01:27.93]and a far greater proportion of people can live in comfort
[01:33.07]Especially,the prosperity of the last thirty years
[01:37.93]has been built on an ample and cheap supply of oil,
[01:42.90]so that now we take this for granted.
[01:47.34]But this thriving is coming to an end,
[01:52.01]oil will run out in the world at large before very long.
[01:57.76]It has been estimated that,about twenty years from now,
[02:02.80]it will no longer be possible to satisfy the world demand for oil.
[02:09.04]Of course,from time to time new petroleum fields are discovered.
[02:14.71]But this prediction
[02:17.87]has already taken the likelihood of such discoveries into account
[02:23.93]Apart from hydroelectric power which we've pretty completely exploited already,
[02:30.70]there are only two sources of energy
[02:34.78]which have been sufficiently developed to be usable in the near future,
[02:40.13]coal and nuclear.
[02:43.47]The U.S.is lucky enough to have abundant coal deposits,
[02:48.83]and clearly coal must play a large role in our future energy supply.
[02:55.67]But if all our energy were to come from coal even these deposits,
[03:01.73]at least those which are considered recoverable,
[03:06.46]may be used up in less than a hundred years.
[03:11.32]Nuclear energy serves this purpose excellently:
[03:15.89]Because nuclear fuel
[03:19.65]weighs very little,it can be supplied easily
[03:24.51]A given"charge" of nuclear fuel in a power plant will last about a year.
[03:30.39]Methods are known to stretch the supply of raw materials,
[03:35.67]uranium and thorium,so that
[03:39.61]the known reserves of these substances can last thousands of years.
[03:45.67]W:Questions 14-17 are based on a TV Chat Show about Eating Out.
[03:52.65]You now have 20 seconds to read Questions 14-17 .
[03:58.29]M:Eating out is a general pastime in Taiwan,
[04:05.50]and because of the huge cross-section of Chinese peoples clustered here,
[04:11.77]it's one of the very best place for discovering all the different cuisines of China
[04:18.01]From the filling,
[04:20.96]wheat-based dishes of the northern provinces to the fiery flavors of Central China
[04:27.73]and the subtleties of Chiu Chow and Cantonese food in the South,
[04:33.50]all regions are well represented.
[04:37.55]If you just stick to Chinese restaurants you could give yourself
[04:43.01]a gourmet course in the geography of China,
[04:47.16]but there are also a number of Korean,Japanese,Thai,
[04:52.62]Indian and European restaurants to augment the choice.
[04:58.08]Taiwan also has its own unique cuisine,
[05:02.76]which is a blend of Fukien-style cooking and Japanese influences
[05:09.13]and focuses especially on fresh seafood.
[05:13.78]Nightlife in Taiwan is by no means confined to restaurants.
[05:19.35]Taipei in particular is known for its lively night clubs,
[05:24.99]piano bars and pubs which have earned the city
[05:29.53]a reputation as one of the hottest after-dark destinations in Asia.
[05:35.60]Taiwan's evening tradition is that of the night market.
[05:40.56]Taipei's most famous night market is Snake Alley,
[05:45.70]and if you take a stroll round this area you'll see Taiwan at its colorful best.
[05:52.68]Anything goes at the night markets.
[05:56.62]Anything from freshlycooked noodles,tea and herbal supplies to
[06:04.88]cut price jeans and private cassettes with the occasional art performances.
[06:11.04]This is where the Taiwanese do much of their shopping,eating and socializing.
[06:17.60]For the visitor it is an opportunity to see a unique example of Taiwanese life,
[06:24.68]encompassing much of its culture and many of its traditions.
[06:30.14]M:Questions 18-20
[06:33.98]are based on the following conversation about Doing Business.
[06:39.86]You now have 15 seconds to read Questions 18 - 20:
[06:45.60]W:...Well,I'm glad everything is comfortable for you at the hotel,
[06:53.23]and you enjoyed the meal last night.
[06:57.10]M:Oh,that was excellent.
[07:00.55]W:Good,good...Well,shall we get down to business? Shall we.
[07:06.32]go through the list?
[07:09.66]M:We would like to place an order for ten suites
[07:14.10]of your traditional "Dragon" line of furniture, that's item No.130.
[07:21.36]The price looks right,so long as you can deliver by the end of March.
[07:27.43]W:I think we can do that.
[07:30.90]M:This would be a trial order to see how the market is
[07:35.63]We may want more later. W:Fine.Let's move on to the next item.
[07:41.66]M:Our people liked the "Eagle" line on their visit...
[07:46.39]that's number 128 in the catalogue.
[07:50.94]They would like to place a substantial order,
[07:55.30]but it's untried They don't know how well it's going to sell.
[08:01.46]They feel your price is rather on the high side.
[08:06.14]W:What size of order had you in mind?
[08:10.29]M:If the price's right,we were conside ring an initial order of 50 complete units
[08:17.37]W:Well in that case our discount would be 4.5%,
[08:23.43]that would mean a unit price of around $282.
[08:29.49]M:We feel that's much too high.
[08:33.15]W:What figure were you thinking of?
[08:36.99]M:Around the $185.
[08:42.27]W:That's out of the question,I'm afraid.
[08:46.42]M:At the most we would be prepared to go to $ 200.
[08:51.77]W:This is a very high quality product,using the best materials.
[08:57.84]M:The problem is the market for this particular style is very uncertain.
[09:04.18]I think you'll have problems finding buyers at the price you are asking.
[09:09.64]It's a pity,but we'll have to leave it.
[09:13.51]W:I'll pass on your comments,certainly.
[09:18.24]But I can't go any lower.
[09:22.00]Perhaps we should move on to the next item.
[09:26.86]M:Yes.Your "Swan" line item number 126.
[09:32.60]We have had reasonable success with it and we would like to order again,
[09:38.66]for delivery no later than August.That's OK.
[09:43.24]Last year you ordered 80 complete units.
[09:47.91]Were you thinking of the same number again,or increasing slightly
[09:53.06]M:Again this depends rather on price.
[09:57.50]You have raised your prices by $150 to $171 with discount...
[10:04.76]that's just over thirteen percent.
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