Passage Two

　　No one knows exactly how many disabled people there are in the world,

　　but estimates suggest that the figure is over 450 million.

　　The number of disabled people in India alone

　　is probably more than double the total population of Canada.

　　In the United Kingdom, about one in ten people have some disability.

　　Disability is not just something that happened to other people.

　　As we get older, many of us will become less mobile,

　　hard of hearing or have failing eyesight.

　　Disablement can take many forms and occur at any time of life.

　　Some people are born with disabilities.

　　Disablement can take many forms and occur at any time of life.

　　Some people are disabled in accidents.

　　Most people become disabled as they get older.

　　Many others may have a period of disability in the form of a mental illness.

　　All are affected by people’s attitude towards them.

　　Disabled people face many physical barriers.

　　Next time you go shopping or to work or visit friends,

　　imagine how you would manage if you could not get up steps, or on to buses and trains.

　　How would you cope if you could not see where you were going

　　or could not hear the traffic?

　　But there are other barriers:

　　prejudice can be even by far the greatest barrier of all.

　　It is almost impossible for the able-bodied to fully appreciated

　　what the severely disabled go through,

　　so it is important to draw attention to these barriers

　　and show that it is the individual person and their ability,

　　not their disability, which counts.

　　Questions 29 to 31 are based on the passage you have just heard.

　　29. Why is disability not something that happened only to other people?

　　30. What is the greatest barrier for disabled people by far?

　　31. What can be concluded from the passage?

　　Passage Three

　　One of the qualities that most people admire in others is

　　the willingness to admit one’s mistakes.

　　It is extremely hard sometimes to say a simple thing like

　　“I was wrong about that.”

　　I had an experience recently with someone admitting to me

　　that he had made a mistake fifteen years ago.

　　He told me he had been the manager of a certain grocery store

　　in the neighborhood where I grew up,

　　and he asked me if I remembered the egg boxes.

　　Then he related an incident and I began to remember vaguely what happened.

　　I was about eight years old then,

　　and I had gone into the store with mother to do the weekly grocery shopping.

　　There must have been a special sale on eggs that day

　　because there was an impressive display of eggs in dozen and half dozen boxes.

　　I must have stopped in front of a display to admire the eggs.

　　Just then a woman came by pushing her grocery cart and knocked off some of the boxes.

　　For some reason, I decided it was up to me to put the display back together,

　　so I went to work. The manager came rushing over to see what had happened.

　　When he appeared,

　　I was on my knees inspecting some of the boxes to see if any of the eggs were broken.

　　But to him it looked as though I was the wrong-doer.

　　He yelled at me and wanted me to pay for any broken eggs.

　　I protested my innocence and tried to explain, but it did no good.

　　Even though I quickly forgot all about the incident, apparently the manager did not.

　　Questions 32 to 35 are based on the passage you have just heard.

　　32. What was the speaker doing in the store 15 years ago?

　　33. What happened after the egg boxes were knocked off?

　　34. What is the result of the incident?

　　35. What can be inferred from the speaker’s attitude toward the manager?

　　Section C

　　Directions:

　　In this section, you will hear a passage three times.

　　When the passage is read for the first time,

　　you should listen carefully for its general idea.

　　When the passage is read for the second time,

　　you are required to fill in the blanks numbered from 36 to 43

　　with the exact words you have just heard.

　　with the exact words you have just heard.

　　For blanks numbered from 44 to 46 you are required to fill in the missing information.

　　For these blanks, you can either use the exact words you have just heard

　　or write down the main points in your own words.

　　Finally, when the passage is read for the third time,

　　you should check what you have written.

　　Now listen to the passage.

　　If you listen to American music,

　　watch American television or magazines,

　　you will probably agree

　　that the most popular subject of these forms of entertainment is love.

　　Romantic love always finds an audience in the country.

　　Falling in love, solving the problems of love, and achieving the happy ending

　　—the big wedding are subjects of interest to both the adult and the teenage public.

　　Millions of Americans celebrate Valentine’s Day

　　with special cards and gifts that announce their love to their mates,

　　their friends, and their families.

　　A popular saying is “Love conquers all”.

　　Numerous columns in magazines and newspapers offer advice to those with difficulties of heart.

　　To most Americans, romantic love is central to a happy life.

　　Not only do Americans believe in romantic love

　　but they also believe that it is the best basis for making a happy marriage.

　　Despite the high divorce rate in the United States,

　　young men and women continue to marry on the basis of romantic love.

　　Young Americans feel free to choose their own marriage partners

　　from any social, economic, or religious background.

　　The man or woman may have strong ties with parents, brothers, or sisters,

　　but when he or she falls in love,

　　the strongest feelings are supposed to be for the loved one.

　　When an American couple marries,

　　they generally plan to live apart from both sets of parents

　　and build their own independent family structure.

　　Now the passage will be read again.