Directions: In this part of the test, you will hear 2 passages in English. After you have heard each paragraph, interpret it into Chinese. Start inter preting at the signal……and stop it at the signal……You may take notes while you are listening. Remember you will hear the passages ONLY ONCE. Now let’s begin Part A with the first passage.

　　Passage 1:

　　London, the capital of the United Kingdom, has a population of about 7 million and an area of 1580 sq km. Although it no longer ranks among the world’s most populous cities, London is still one of the world’s great centers for classical and popular culture. For example, it has enjoyed a reputation for superb theater since the time of Shakespeare in the 16th century. //

　　London boasts many world-famous tourist attractions. The most impressive sight-seeing places include the Big Ben, the Oxford Street, and of course the Buckingham Palace, where thousands of tourists come to watch the pageantry, the Changing of Guards. London itself is a living museum, with more than 2000 years of history and culture. The jewel in this cultural crown is the British Museum, with more than 4 million exhibits.

　　Passage 2:

　　I am an optimist. As will be clear from what I have written, I think knowledge is a blessing, not a curse. This is especially true in the case of genetic knowledge. For example, with genetic knowledge, we’ll be able to understand the molecular nature of cancer for the first time, to diagnose and prevent Alzheimer’s and to discover the secrets of human history-all these seem to me to be immense blessings.//

　　It is true that genetics also brings the threat of new dangers, such as unequal insurance premiums for people of different genetic factors, new forms of biological warfare, and unexpected side effects of genetic engineering, but most of these dangers are either easily dealt with or extremely far-fetched. So I cannot agree to th4e fashionable pessimism about science, nor can I accept the idea of a world that turns its back on science.

　　keys：

　　Passage 1:

　　伦敦是联合王国的首都，人口700万，面积1580平方公里。今天的伦敦虽然已不再是世界人口最多的城市之一，但仍然是世界主要的古曲文化和通俗文化中心之一。例如，自16世纪莎士比亚时代起伦敦一直享有拥有一流剧院之美誉。//

　　伦敦拥有许多世界著名的旅游胜地，令人印象最深刻的观光景点有大自鸣钟、牛津街，当然还有白金汉宫，成千上万的旅游者到那里观看(皇家)卫队换岗典礼。伦敦自身就是一座活生生的博物馆，有着2000年的历史文化。大英博物馆则是镶刻在这顶文化皇冠上的一颗宝石，拥有400万余件展品。

　　Passage 2:

　　我是个乐观主义者。正如我写的文字中将明确显示的，我认为知识是一种赐福，而不是灾祸。这在遗传知识方面尤为如此。比如，有了遗传知识，我们首次了解癌症的分了了结构人，对老年痴呆作出诊断和预防，发现人类历史的奥秘—这一切在我看来是无上的福祉。//

　　的确，遗传学也会带来新的危险，诸如对具有不同遗传因素的人收取不平等的保险费，新式的生物战，以及遗传工程的难以预料的副作用等，但这些危险大多是容易对付的或离目前极为遥远的。因此我不会支持流行的对悲观看法，我也不会对这个世界拒绝科学的看法表示赞同。