2023年大学生英语竞赛初赛试卷C类及答案.doc

2023 National English Contest for
College Students

(Level C – Preliminary)

Part I listening Comprehension (25 minutes,30 marks)
Section A (5 marks)
In this section, you will hear five short conversations. Each conversation will be read only once .After each conversation, there will be a pause. During the pause, read the question and the three choices marked A, B and C, and decide which is the best answer .Then mark the corresponding letter on the answer sheet with a single line through the centre.
1. Where does this conversation probably take place?
A.In an engine room . B .in a car. C.In a factory.
2.Who is the man talking to ?
A.A lifeguard . B.A travel agent . C.A gymnasium manager.
3.How will the correct price be determined ?
A. By calling the company.
B.By asking the sales representative.
C.By looking at the price list.
4.Why is Sue upset according to the conversation?
A.Someone broke into her car.
B.She had to pay too much for parking.
C.She was given a ticket .
5.What do the two speakers probably do for a living.
A.Office clerks. B.Printers. C.Archiects.

Section B (10 marks)
In this section, you will hear two long conversations. Each conversation will be read only once. After each conversation, there will be a one-minute pause. During the pause, read the five questions, each with the three choices marked A, Band C, and decide which is the best answer. Then mark the corresponding letter on the answer sheet with a single line through the centre

Conversation One
6.Why did the man watch the video ?
A.It was required by Professor Stephen.
B.He wanted to learn about heart attacks.
C.He had to take part in a discussion.
7.In the man’s opinion, what is the video about?
A. Men’s health. B.Stress. C.Health care for women .
8.What did the man learn from the video?
A.Women are under more stress than men .
B.Women have more heart attacks than men .
C.Women who have heart attacks get less care than men .
9.At what ages are women most likely to have a heart attack?
A.40 to 50 . B.60 to 65 . C.45 to 60.
10.What does the woman think about the video?
A.It sounds puzzling.
B.It sounds very interesting .
C.It sounds very dull.

Conversation Two
11.How long did the man wait before his call was answered?
A.Twenty minutes. B.Twelve minutes . C.Twenty-four minutes .
12.Why did the man phone Interserve Customer Service?
A.He wanted to know what the recorded message means .
B.He didn’t know which button to choose.
C.He wanted to know if he can use his e-mail address while overseas.
13.What does the man think about the menu of options?
A.Its meaning isn’t ambiguous.
B.It is far from clear .
C.It is satisfactory.
14.Which department would the man have spoken to if had chosen button two?
A.Accounts and Billing.
B.General Enquiries.
C.Accounts and Service.
15.What will the operator do next ?
A.Make an official complaint.
B.Improve the menu of options.
C.Make a note of the man’s complaint.

Section C (5 marks )
In this section, you will hear five short news items .Each item will be read only once. After each item ,there will be a pause ,During the pause ,read the question and the three choices marked A,B and C, and decide which is the best answer .Then mark the corresponding letter on the answer sheet with a single line through the centre.
16.How does rotational grazing reduce the need for pesticide treatments?
A.By increasing the use of natural fertilizer.
B.By limiting the need for chemical fertilizers.
C.By reducing the growth of weeds.
17.Which news agency votes for the top ten news stories?
A.Reuters.
B.The Associated Press
C.United Press International.
18.Which counties spent billions of dollars to develop new oil fields ?
A. Syria, Brazil and Russia.
B.Brazil,Iran and Saudi Arabia .
C.Saudi Arabie ,Brazil and Russia.
19.Why has the number of camels in India been decreasing in recent years?
A.Because they are dying from traveling too far .
B.Because they are short of food.
C.Because they are infected with a disease.
20.What is a symptom of multiple sclerosis?
A.Loss of the ability to hear.
B.Loss of the ability to see well.
C.Loss of the ability to speak clearly.

Section D(10 marks)
In this section, you will hear a short passage which will be read only once. There are 10 missing words or phrases. Fill in the blanks with the exact words or phrases you hear on the tape .Remember to write the answers on the answer sheet .
The fourth component of the Swedish social system is that its policies ensure full employment and increase the mobility of labour-that is ,the ability to change jobs without (21)______income. Swedes have a strong work ethic .This ,combined with state-funded programmers that(22)_______unemployment, which Sweden prefers to high unemployment rates and large welfare (23)______.So, there are a large number of (24)_______training programmes that unemployers par for (25)___________to workers in jobs that have become unnecessary. There are also subsidies for workers who must change jobs because of changes in the labour market .
Sweden introduced the fifth and final component of its social system at the end of the 20th century. This component corrects some of the problems created by the four (26)________mentioned components. It includes new rules that are designed to improve job stability , such as training programmes to help employees learn new skills as their jobs change and become more (27)______,Also ,the government has reduced social(28)_________and welfare payments .
So, in conclusion, the Swedes are happy with their system. Sweden has achieved more in terms of social equality, economic(29)________than many other economies. As a result ,most Swedes aren’t interested in any more reform of the economic system .However, because it is (30)_________in international markets, Sweden must continue to manage its social policies so that it remains competitive in the international marketplace.

Part II Vocabulary and Structure(10 minutes,15 marks)
31.The businessmen discussed the contract_____________but never actually signed anything.
A.at length .
B.at sea .
C.at randon.
D.at will.
32.Accustomed to the coffee from Columbia________Governor John said that ________coffee should always be strong.
A./;a.
B.the;a.
C.a;a.
D./;/.
33._________a well-balanced diet,________adequate sleep ,is needed for good health.
A.Alongside;with.
B.Not only;but.
C.Attached;to .
D.Due to;so
34._________very familiar with inspection reports, I realized that some pages of this one were missing.
A.To be
B.That was
C.Being
D.So was
35.If you have not signed a contract, you are under no _________ to pay them any money.
A.responsibility
B.liability
C.circumstance
D.obligation
36.As the market was _________ goods, the economy became more balanced , and inflation went down.
A.speculated on
B.subscribed for
C.saturated with
D.submitted to
37.Surveys show that the majority of passengers are pleased that an agreement has been reached to forbid smoking on _________ flights within the continental United States.
A. economical
B. commercial
C. global
D. internal
38.The new CEO asked that all inter-office communications ________ in writing rather than in person , _________ possible.
A.have been made; whoever
B.would be made; whichever
C.be made ; whenever
D.stage bare of scenery
39.Written to be performed on a __________,Thornton Wilder’s play Our Town depicts life in a small New England community.
A.stage scenery of bare
B.bare of stage scenery
C.scenery bare of stage
D.stage bare of scenery
40.____________ school policy , the students had a holiday between Chritmas and the New Year.
A.On behalf of
B.With regard to
C.In line with
D.In case of
41.To sell the house , we made a __________ to the buyer by agreeing to put a new roof on it.
A.consideration
B mission
C.concession
D.confirmation
42.Never before _________ available for quick and easy acess in so many different fields of study.
A.so much free information were
B.has so much free information been
C.were so much free information
D.so much free information has been
43.The computer company announced that the new solfware __________ in the first half of next year.
A.be released
B.will have released
C.would have released
D.was going to be released
44.Tina: A group of us are going boeling on Tuesday night. Would you like to join us?
Joe : I really would , but unfortunately I have a tennis lesson.
Tina : Oh, that’s too bad. _________
Joe : Yes, for sure. Thanks for the offer.
A.How do you deal with that ?
B.Maybe another time then ?
C.When will you come back ?
D.Don’t you really like bowling ?
45.George : Hey, Agnes . How did the Human Resources meeting go ?I couldn’t make it because I was out at a sales conference.
Agnes : Oh, George . __________ It turned into a major argument.
George : Really ?
A .Glad you’re back now.
B.You’re lucky to have missed it.
C.Nice to see you again.
D.You’re just on time.
Part III Reading Comprehension (20 minutes, 35 marks)
Section A (5 marks )
In this section , there is one passage followed by five question. For each question, there are four choices marked A, B, C and D .You should decide on the best choice, and then mark the corresponding letter on the answer sheet with a single line through the centre.
Questions 46 to 50 are based on the following passage.
When e-mail first came into general use about fifteen years ago, there was a lot of talk about the imminent arrival of the paperless office. However, it seems that e-mail has yet to revolutionize office communications .According to communicate ions analyst Richard Metcalf, some offices have actually seen an increase in paper as increase in paper as a result of e-mail.” Information in the form of e-mail messages now floods our computer screens. These messages can be distributed in the hundres.For those secretaries whose books ask them to print out all their e-mails and leave them in their intrays, this means using up a great deal of paper every month ,”Metcalf says.
Metcalf has found that because some e-mails get lost in cyberspace, as are increasingly likely to be asked by clients and colleagues to send all important documents both by e-mails and by fax or “snail mail”-though the post .This highlightsafuther postential problem with e-mail in today’s offices-it is taking up time rather than saving it.
“With e-mail, communication is much easier ,but there is also more room for misunderstrandings,”says psaychologist Dr David Lewis Generally ,much lsee care is take with e-mails than with letters or faxes and the sender will probably print the the documents and reread it before putting it in an envelope or sending it by fax.
More worrying is still the increase misuse of e-mail for sending “flame-mail” –abusive or inappropriate e-mail messages .Recent research in several companies suggests that aggressive communications like this are on the increase .E-mail has become the perfect medium for expressing workplace frustration because is so instant.
E-mail can also be a problem in order ways .Staff all too often make the mistake of thinking that the condense of an e-mail ,like things said over the phone ,are private and not permanent. But it is not only possible for an employer to read all your e-mails, it is also perfectly legal-mail messages can be traced back to their origin for a period of at last two years , so you might want to rethink e-mailing your frustrations about your job to your friends. The advice is to keep personal e-mails out of the office .
It goes without saying that e-mail exists to make life easier, and if used correctly, it is an invaluable tool for business of all sizes. But perhaps, for the time being ,the fact that in the business word 70persent of all documents are still in paper form is not such a bad thing after all.
46.Why has the promise of the paperless office not come true in many offices?
A.People write more memos than they used to.
B.Maybe secretaries keep paper copies of everything their bosses send and receive .
C.Many managers prefer to read their messages on paper .
D.Staff leave messagers lying around their offices.
47.What dose Richard Metcalf say about e-mail in Paragraph Two?
A.It is not an appropriate channel for sending important information
B.It increases the amount of paperwork done in offices.
C.It is not popular with many secretaries.
48.How does David Lewis feel about e-mail messages?
A.Many of them are not well written .
B.Many of them are too long .
C.Many of them are not printed out.
D.Many of them are never read
49.Why should employees not use company e-mail systems for personal messages?
A.Because company e-mail systems are not easy to use.
B.Because the people the messages sent to can’t.
C.Because they allow people to express their anger immediately.
D.Because e-mail is not a private means of communication.
50.What dose the writer conclude about e-mail in the last paragraph?
A.It has already made life a lot easier for many business.
B.It is not being used enough in business today.
C.It will never replace written communication.
D.It is really useful when people use it properly.
Section B(10 marks)
In this section, there is one passage followed by five incomplete sentences. Read the passage carefully, and then complete the sentences in a maximum of