6. What does the woman think of the school?

A. Very good.　　　　　 B. Just so-so.　　　　　　　 C. Bad.

Conversation 4:

M: Mary, we are going to have a party on New Year’s Eve. I’m sure we’ll have a good time. Would you like to join us?

W: I’d like to. Where are you going to have it?

M: In our classroom. We are going to decorate it and turn it into a splendid ballroom.

W: Oh, it is great. I shall be very glad to spend my first New Year in China with you.

M: But we are going to ask everyone at the party to give a performance. Do sing us some English songs, please.

W: I will. My voice is not very pleasant to the ear, though.

M: I heard you sing once. Your voice was sweet and beautiful. I’m sure you’ll be the star of our New Year party.

W: Oh, thank you.

5. What are the speakers?

A. Teachers.　　　　　　　　 B. Students.　　　 C. Parents.

4. What are they going there for?

A. To go outing.　　　 B. To see Beijing Opera.　　　　　 C. To learn Beijing Opera.

Conversation 3:

M: I think I was very lucky to enter this school. But it lies in the suburb.

W: Ah, this is a developing area. There will be a lot more people here in about five years' time. And there won't be many factories.

M: Yes. We can breathe fresh air every day. What do you think of the teachers here?

W: Very good and kind. They are helpful. I am making progress.

W: I hope I can get used to the life here soon.

3. Where are they going at the weekend?

A. Beijing Theater.　　　　 B. Beihai Park.　　　　　　　 C. ChaoYang Park.

2. Whom did the man chat with?

A. People from America.　　　　 B. People who are watching a movie. 　　

C. People in different countries.

Conversation 2:

M: Susan, Please pass me a copy of Beijing Review.

W: Here you are.

M: I want to find what’s on this weekend.

W: Is there anything good on?

M: The Beijing Opera is showing on Saturday evening. Do you like Beijing Opera?

W: Oh, yes. Very much. When and where will it be?

M: At 7:30 in ChaoYang Park.

W: Let's go and see it, OK?

M: Good idea!

84. Why will people with musical training find it easier to learn Chinese, according to the researchers? (No more than 15 words.)

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SECTION C

Directions: Write an English composition according to the instructions given below.

Write a composition of about 120 words according to the information below:

83. What does the underlined “work the other way round” mean in the last paragraph? (No more than 12 words.)

__________________________________________________________________________________

82. How did the non-Chinese with no musical background react to the audiotape? (No more than 6 words.)

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SECTION B

Directions: Read the following passage. Answer the questions according to the information given in the passage and the required words limit. Write your answers on your answer sheet.

Anyone who has tried to learn Chinese can prove how hard it is to master the pitch (音调) required to speak and understand it. And anyone who has tried to learn to play the violin or other instruments can report similar challenges.

Now researchers have found that people with musical training have an easier time learning Chinese.

Writing in the online edition of Nature Neuroscience, researchers from Northwestern University say that both skills use parts of the brain that help people notice changes in pitch.

One of the study’s authors, Nina Kraus, said the findings suggested that studying music “actually tunes our sensory (感官的) system.” This means that schools that want children to do well in languages should hesitate before cutting music programs, Dr. Kraus said. She said music training might also help children with language problems.

Chinese speakers have been shown to have a more complex programming of pitch patterns in their brains than English speakers do. This is most probably because in Chinese and other Asian languages, pitch plays a central role. A single word can have several meanings depending on how it is pronounced.

For this study, the researchers looked at 20 non-Chinese speaking volunteers, half with no musical background and half who had studied an instrument for at least six years.

As they were shown a movie, the volunteers also heard an audiotape of the Chinese word “mi” in three of its meanings: squint (眯), bewilder (迷) and rice. The researchers recorded activity in their brain stems (脑干) to see how well they were processing the sounds.

Those with a music background showed much more brain activity in response to the Chinese sounds.

The lead author of the study, Patrick C. M. Wong, said it might work the other way round. It appears that native speakers of tonal (音调的) languages may do better at learning instruments, Dr. Wong said.

81. Why is the arrangement of pitch patterns in Chinese speakers’ brains more complex? (No more than 8 words.)

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What they do with a computer: ◆Girls prefer to use computers for _ 76　 .

◆Boys prefer to use computers for 　77　 　and understanding

information.

How they feel about a computer: ◆Girls are afraid of breaking it.

　　　　　　　　　　　　　 ◆Boys are 　78　 　such worry.

Their 　79　 　to computer games: ◆Girls think they are boring because the characters are irrelevant

to their lives.

◆Boys don’t have such feelings.