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东城区2011—2012学年度第二学期高三统一练习（一） 英语试卷 2012.4 本试卷共150分，考试时间120分钟。考试结束后，考生务必将答题卡交回。 注意事项： 1. 考生务必将答案答在答题卡上, 在试卷上作答无效。 2. 答题前考生务必将答题卡上的姓名、准考证号用黑色字迹的签字笔填写。 3. 答题卡选择题必须用2B铅笔作答, 将选中项涂满涂黑, 黑度以盖住框内字母为准, 修改时用橡皮擦除干净。 4. 答题卡非选择题必须用黑色字迹的签字笔按照题号顺序在各题目的答题区域内作答, 未在对应的答题区域内作答或超出答题区域作答均不得分。 第一部分：听力理解（共三节，30分） 第一节（共5小题；每小题1.5分，共7.5分） 听下面5段对话。每段对话后有一道小题，从每题所给的A、B、C三个选项中选出最佳选项。听完每段对话后，你将有10秒钟的时间来回答有关小题和阅读下一小题。每段对话你将听一遍。 例：What is the man going to read? A．A newspaper. B．A magazine. C．A book. 答案是A。 1. What does Jack want to do? A. Go to the movie. B. Play outside. C. Watch TV. 2. How does the man go across town now? A. By car. B. By subway. C. By taxi. 3. Which one is the woman’s house?
4. What is the man doing? A. Shopping with his son. B. Buying a gift for a child. C. Bargaining with a salesgirl. 5. How does the woman feel? A. Curious. B. Regretful. C. Worried. 第二节（共10小题；每小题1.5分，共15分） 听下面4段对话或独白。每段对话或独白后有几道小题，从每题所给的A、B、C三个选项中选出最佳选项。听每段对话或独白前，你将有5秒钟的时间阅读每小题。听完后，每小题将给出5秒钟的作答时间。每段对话或独白你将听两遍。 听第6段材料，回答第6至7题。 6. Why will David’s mom need the car? A. To do some shopping. B. To pick up kids. C. To go out for dinner. 7. When will dinner probably begin? A. At 6. B. At 7. C. At 8. 听第7段材料，回答第8至9题。 8. What course has the man started? A. Math. B. Music. C. Astronomy. 9. What does the man enjoy during the course? A. Doing math. B. Listening to music. C. Watching videos. 听第8段材料，回答第10至12题。 10. What is Jonas? A. An engineer. B. A writer. C. A student. 11. Where was Madonna born? A. In New York. B. In Michigan. C. In Rochester. 12. What can we learn about Madonna? A. She congratulated Jonas herself. B. She had a hard and busy childhood. C. She graduated from a famous university. 听第9段材料，回答第13至15题。 13. What is Jenny’s hobby? A. Painting. B. Reading. C. Travelling. 14. What is Jenny working on now? A. The Eiffel Tower. B. A Swiss mountain. C. The Brazilian rain forest. 15. What does the man think of Jenny’s works? A. They are well-researched. B. They are extremely detailed. C. They are carefully chosen. 第三节（共5小题；每小题1.5分，共7.5分） 听下面一段对话，完成第16题至20题，每小题仅填写一个词。听对话前，你将有20秒钟的时间阅读试题，听完后你将有60秒钟的作答时间。这段对话你将听两遍。 Conference info
第二部分：知识运用（共两节，45分） 第一节 单项填空（共15小题，每小题1分，共15分） 从A、B、C、D四个选项中，选出可以填入空白处的最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。 例：It’s so nice to hear from her again. , we last met more than thirty years ago. A．What’s more B．That’s to say C．In other words D．Believe it or not 答案是D。 21. — Why didn’t you pay the bill for Tina? — I offered to, ______ she refused. A. and B. but C. or D. so 22. — You must be looking forward to your trip back to Sydney. — Yes. I ______ wait any longer. A. can’t B. mustn’t C. needn’t D. shouldn’t 23. Several times Kelly heard her name called but when she turned around to see ______ it was, no one was in the room. A. who B. where C. why D. what 24. — What are your rules for carry-on luggage, Madam? — You ______ only one piece of luggage on the plane, Sir. A. allow B. allowed C. are allowed D. were allowed 25. My brother is tall with curly hair, wearing a pair of glasses. You ______ him very easily. A. recognized B. have recognized C. will recognize D. had recognized 26. The question ______ at the next meeting will be a hard one. A. to discuss B. to be discussed C. discussing D. being discussed 27. — That’s a great sweater. I have never seen anything like it before. — You think so? My grandmother ______ it for me. A. makes B. made C. has made D. had made 28. ______ equal opportunities, both Frank and Billy may accomplish the task. A. Given B. Giving C. To give D. To be given 29. Why don’t you bring ______ to his attention that you’re too ill to go on working? A. one B. it C. this D. that 30. —Jack, do you know anything about Doctor Brown? — I ______ to him for years. I don’t see how anyone else could do better. A. went B. will go C. had gone D. have been going 31. ______ Jason is willing to help, he doesn’t have much time available. A. As B. Since C. While D. Unless 32. — I don’t think I want to live in the dormitory next year. — But check out the cost first. I wouldn’t be surprised if you ______ your mind. A. changed B. will change C. have changed D. would have changed 33. Many of the students who hope to enter the university will be disappointed because only one third ______ for admission will be accepted. A. apply B. to apply C. applied D. applying 34. Has it ever struck you ______ it would be like to have no one you could trust? A. that B. who C. which D. what 35. Sam remembered several occasions in the past ______ he had experienced a similar feeling. A. what B. which C. where D. why 第二节 完形填空（共20小题；每小题1.5分，共30分） 阅读下面短文，掌握其大意，从每题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。 Little Bit “Meow, meow, meow,” is what I heard as I walked through the alley. I approached the noise and noticed a tail sticking out from under a piece of wood. Under the wood was a 36 black and white cat. I picked him up and 37 he must be freezing to death. I 38 home with the cat held in my jacket. My new best friend, who soon became known as Little Bit, received his name because he was almost 39 when I held him in my hands. He stood about five inches tall. Little Bit’s small size had a great advantage — he 40 perfectly in the pocket of my jacket, which made 41 him everywhere very easy. Any time I was home, he wouldn’t leave my 42 . He was always eager to play with me. When I fell asleep at night, he would always 43 up around my head to ensure that I was warm. Unfortunately, I grew up. My teenage life 44 my relationship with Little Bit. I lived at such a fast pace that I stopped 45 time for him. My free time was spent with my friends instead. I would come in the house on my phone and not 46 him at all. His meows became an annoyance to me, but it wasn’t his 47 that he wanted his best friend back. Time had caused a 48 to Little Bit. His body began 49 down and by the time I realized something was wrong with him, he had already lost his balance. He lay there and looked at me, and 50 this day I still remember the 51 look in his bright green eyes. I took him to the vet (兽医), but there was nothing he could do. The last time I 52 him he wasn’t the same tiny cat I had found ten years before. Little Bit filled my arms and he was put to sleep that day. Little Bit’s 53 made me realize how much he meant to me. He was always there for me when I needed him. I 54 our last years together and I feel sorry for not always being there for him. I will always 55 the special memories we made. 36. A. lovely B. tiny C. pretty D. friendly 37. A. agreed B. insisted C. realized D. proved 38. A. left B. stayed C. drove D. hurried 39. A. weightless B. useless C. breathless D. hopeless 40. A. grew B. fitted C. played D. existed 41. A. showing B. keeping C. taking D. guiding 42. A. mind B. heart C. body D. side 43. A. rise B. stand C. wake D. roll 44. A. weakened B. fastened C. deepened D. sharpened 45. A. making B. losing C. wasting D. gaining 46. A. overlook B. interrupt C. acknowledge D. recognize 47. A. desire B. purpose C. fault D. greed 48. A. fear B. loss C. delay D. concern 49. A. dropping B. tearing C. calming D. shutting 50. A. on B. to C. in D. for 51. A. shameful B. hateful C. harmful D. sorrowful 52. A. helped B. protected C. held D. cured 53. A. illness B. death C. sadness D. pressure 54. A. regret B. bother C. confuse D. dream 55. A. treasure B. admire C. evaluate D. explore 第三部分：阅读理解（共两节，40分） 第一节（共15小题；每小题2分，共30分） 阅读下列短文，从每题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。 A Goddington Theater The Goddington Theater Ticket Office is open from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. Monday to Friday, and for half an hour in the evening before the advertised start time of each performance. Telephone bookings 2 Your tickets are held at the Ticket Office for you to collect or, if you prefer, a charge of 35 cents is made to post them to you if you pay by cash. We’ll post them to you for free if you book by credit card. No extra charge. Postal bookings 2 You can write to the Ticket Office requesting tickets, or to confirm a reservation. Where to find Goddington Theater 2 Goddington Theater can be found within the Goddington University site, next to the car park, which is available for public use after 5 p.m. on weekdays and all day on weekends. If travelling by car 2 Coming from the south end of Princes Street, you will see the library on your right. Next to the library is Goddington University. Take the next turning on the right, then first right into the car park gate straight ahead of you, stopping as close as possible to the orange machine. Put a $ 1 coin in the machine and the gate will rise. If travelling by train/bus/ taxi 2 You will need to allow 30 minutes to walk from the train station. Taxis are available from the front of the station. 2 The University is a 5 to 10 minutes’ walk from the main bus station. 2 When ordering a taxi from the theater, ask to be picked up at the bottom of North Street. Taxis will not come into the car park because of the entrance charge. 56. You can book your tickets ________. A. at 9 a.m. on Monday B. at 5 p.m. on Wednesday C. at noon on workdays D. at lunch time on weekends 57. Where is the Goddington Theater? A. In the Goddington university. B. On the right of the Ticket Office. C. To the south of Princes Street. D. At the bottom of North Street. 58. What can we learn from the passage? A. You can find a free parking place in the university. B. You have to collect your tickets if you pay by credit card. C. Tickets paid by cash will be posted to you at no extra charge. D. Taxi drivers are unwilling to pick up customers inside the car park. B When expanded families —children, parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles —lived in the same town and sometimes in the same house, a relative of the working parents took care of the children. But beginning with the Industrial Revolution, people moved away from farms and small towns to find better job chances in larger cities. Gradually nuclear families are often seen in the society, but there also appears the immediate family, with either the mother or the father living with the children because of divorce. Another variation is the mixed family, the result of a marriage between a previously married man and woman who combine the children from their former marriages into a new family. Since 1950s and 1960s, a trend that has appeared is the sharing of child-care responsibilities between husband and wife. More and more women are working outside the home. Around 70 percent of women with children under 18 have other jobs besides that of mother and homemaker. Most are employed in traditional fields for females, such as sales, education, and service. Some are engineers, politicians, doctors, lawyers, and scientists. And at the end of twentieth century, even a few have begun to occupy vital positions in business, government, and banking, breaking through the so-called glass ceiling. Money matters influence women to work. Some are employed full time, some part time, and some seek creative solutions such as flex-time work schedules and job sharing. Many are single mothers, in single-parent family, raising children by themselves. But in most cases, one income in the household is simply not enough, so both parents must work to support the family. The men are no longer the only breadwinners. So who watches the children while the parents work? Answers to this question are varied. Some parents put children in day-care centers. Some parents put children in informal day-care centers in private homes. Companies and hospitals are realizing that providing day care at the workplace makes for happier and more productive employees. Some wealthy families can have a nanny, a woman who comes to care for the children in their own home. Many of these child-care workers are from other areas, e.g. South America and Eastern Europe. From the last decade, the accessibility of technology —computers, faxes, teleconferencing —has made it easier for at-home workers to be constantly in touch. Will this new flexibility in the work force bring a positive change for taking care of children? Only time will tell. 59. What is an immediate family according to the passage? A. An expanded family. B. A mixed family. C. A nuclear family. D. A single-parent family. 60. What can be inferred from Paragraph 2? A. Women can get to the top positions easily. B. Educated women are employed in many fields. C. Women have more and more chances to work outside. D. More and more women have children at very young age. 61. Employers make their employees more productive by ______. A. putting their children in private centers B. offering office equipments to workers C. providing day care at the workplace D. allowing them to work at home 62. Which of the following could be the best title of the passage? A. Who Takes Care of Children? B. Why do Women Work Outside? C. What Benefits Single Parents? D. How do People Support Families? C Mark Rothko, one of the greatest painters of the twentieth century, was born in Daugavpils, Latvia in 1903. His family immigrated to the United States in 1913, after a 12-day voyage. Mark moved to New York in the autumn of 1923 and found employment in the garment trade and settled down on the Upper West Side. It was while he was visiting someone at the Art Students League that he saw students painting a model. According to him, this was the start of his life as an artist. He was twenty years old and had taken some art lessons at school, so his initial experience was far from an immediate calling. In 1936, Mark Rothko began writing a book, which he never completed, about the similarities in the children’s art and the work of modern painters. The work of modernists, which was influenced by primitive art, could, according to him, be compared to that of children in that “Child art transforms itself into primitivism, which is only the child producing a copy of himself.” In this same work, he said that “The fact that one usually begins with drawing is already academic. We start with colour.” It was not long before his multiform developed into the style he is remembered for. In 1949 Rothko exhibited these new works at the Betty Parsons Gallery. For reviewer Harold Rosenberg, the paintings were unique and primitive. Rothko had, after painting his first multiform, separated himself from the world in East Hampton on Long Island, only inviting a very few people, including Rosenberg, to view the new paintings. The discovery of his works’ specialty came at a period of great sorrow: his mother Kate died in October 1948. As part of this new uniformity of artistic vision, his paintings no longer had individual titles. From this point on they were simply untitled, numbered or dated. However, to assist in distinguishing one work from another, traders would sometimes add the primary colours to the name. Additionally, for the next few years, Rothko painted in oil only on large vertical tents. This was done to surround the viewer, or, in his words, to make the viewer feel enveloped within the picture. 63. When did Rothko want to be an artist? A. When he immigrated to the U.S.A. B. When he watched students drawing. C. When he moved to the Upper West Side. D. When he joined the Art Students League. 64. What did Rothko think of modern art? A. It could be produced by children. B. It could be compared to child work. C. It was a certain kind of primitive art. D. It was academic from the very beginning. 65. Why does the author mention Rothko’s uncompleted book? A. To prove Rothko’s concentration on painting. B. To show Rothko’s research on the modern art. C. To suggest Rothko’s unique personal painting style. D. To explain the inspiration of Rothko’s painting style. 66. Rothko’s distinctive style ______. A. took shape in 1948 B. was affected by Rosenberg C. resulted from his boyhood experience D. was rooted in the separation from the world D What exactly is intelligence? There aren’t any easy answers. Despite the progress that has been made in genetics and psychology, human intelligence has remained one of the most controversial areas of modern science，until now, that is, for the discovery of a gene(基因) linked to intelligence has made the experts think again. Robert Plomin of the Institute of Psychiatry in London and his colleagues in the US have been looking into genetic make-up. From their research, they have discovered that a slightly different gene is more common in those with a high IQ. Plomin analyzed DNA from two groups of 51 children aged between 6 and 15. What he found was that the first group had an IQ of 136, putting them in the top 5% of the population, while the other group had an average IQ of 103. An analysis of their genes showed that 32% of children in the higher group had the gene in question, while only 16% in the second group did. However, there is a lot more research to be done, and Plomin himself is cautious at this early stage. He suggests that there are probably many genes that contribute to intelligence, rather than just one. Several studies have shown a strong link between IQ and career success, although some psychologists remain unconvinced about this. Professor Michael Rowe, who has written a book called Genius Explained, is one of these. “The people with the highest IQs are not usually the ones who do best in their careers.” Many psychologists now believe that when it comes to intelligence, IQ isn’t everything. Many alternative views have been put forward recently. One example is the idea of multiple intelligences, which was developed in the 1980s by Harvard psychologist Howard Gardner. This offers a much broader view than the IQ theory, including creativity and communication skills as relevant factors(因素) in intelligence. Tony Buzan, brain expert and author of Master your Memory, is enthusiastic about this belief, arguing that true geniuses(天才) do indeed appear to combine high levels of each type of intelligence. He lists Alexander the Great, Pablo Picasso and Albert Einstein as examples. At the same time, Buzan believes that everyone can develop their intelligence, only if they take the trouble to exercise their brain. Perhaps there’s hope for us all! 67. What is the topic of the passage? A. The relationship between genes and intelligence. B. IQ benefits a lot from high intelligence. C. How to develop intelligence. D. What makes intelligence. 68. Why does the author use data in Paragraph 2? A. To make a suggestion. B. To draw a conclusion. C. To prove an idea. D. To give an example. 69. What can we learn from the passage? A. Robert Plomin confirms genes have something in common. B. Howard Gardner thinks intelligence includes various factors. C. Michael Rowe approves of a strong link between IQ and career. D. Tony Buzan agrees geniuses exercise brain to improve intelligence. 70. What does the underlined word “This” in Paragraph 4 refer to? A. The development of intelligence. B. The idea of multiple intelligences. C. IQ isn’t everything for intelligence. D. Alternative views have been put forward. 第二节（共5小题；每小题2分，共10分） 根据短文内容，从短文后的选项中选出能填入空白处的最佳选项。选项中有两项 为多余选项。 The War Against Sand Imagine living on the edge of a vast desert, which is moving quietly closer to your village every day and covering your fields. The desert is on the move. This is called desertification. Desertification occurs in regions close to an already existing desert. 71 The first is over-use of water in the area. There is not enough water in any case, and if it is not carefully used, disaster can follow. As time goes on, water shortages make farming more and more difficult. In some places, locals can remember local lakes and marshes which were once the homes for all kinds of fish and birds. 72 Farmers leave the land, and fields are replaced by deserts. The second cause is misuse or over-use of the land. 73 Ploughing(耕) large fields and removing bushes and trees means that the wind will blow away the soil. Once the soil is lost, it is hard to replace, and if there is rain, it has nowhere to go, and brings no benefit. 74 Every spring, the skies over some of eastern cities, thousands of kilometers away from the deserts, can be darkened by sandstorms. Dust from deserts can have a great effect on weather systems. While desertification is perhaps being partly caused by global warming, these sandstorms can make global warming worse by adding to what is known as the greenhouse effect. What can be done to slow down or stop the process of desertification? A great deal of work is already under way. Obviously first steps are to find new water sources. 75 Some types of grass also hold the soil together, and stop the wind taking it. Without these efforts, it will be harder and harder to stop the world’s deserts in their tracks, and more and more farmers will give up and head for cities. The lesson to be learnt lies beneath the sand. A. It generally arises from two related causes. B. It is not only the farmers and villagers who suffer. C. They have been completely buried by the sand now. D. Scientists are doing the research on the cause of desertification. E. They destroy the land, as the soil dries out and is then blown away. F. Tree planting can help, by providing barriers between desert and rich field. G. This means that the wrong crops are planted, and need more water than is available. 第四部分：书面表达（共两节，35分） 第一节 情景作文（20分） 假设你是红星中学高二（1）班的班长李华，去年冬天你们班开展了“为西藏希望小学献爱心”的活动。请根据以下四幅图的先后顺序，写一篇英文短文向某中学生英语报投稿，介绍你们本次献爱心活动的全过程。 注意：词数不少于60。
（请将情景作文写在答题纸指定区域内） Last winter, we carried out an activity themed “Helping the Children in the Hope Primary School in Tibet”. ________________________________________________________________ 第二节 开放作文（15分） 请根据下面提示，写一篇短文。词数不少于50。 In your spoken English class, your teacher shows you the following picture. You are asked to describe the picture and explain how you understand it. 提示词：scale (n. & v.) 天平，测量 （请将开放作文写在答题卡指定区域内） 东城区2011—2012学年度第二学期高三统一练习（一） 英语试题参考答案及评分标准 2012.4 第一部分：听力（共三节，30分） 第一节（共5小题；每小题1.5分，共7.5分） 1．A 2．B 3．A 4．B 5．C 第二节（共10小题；每小题1.5分，共15分） 6．A 7．B 8．C 9．A 10．C 11．C 12．B 13．A 14．C 15．B 第三节（共5小题；每题1.5分，共7.5分） 每小题1.5分。如出现拼写错误不计分；出现大小写、单复数错误扣0.5分；如每小题 超过一个词不计分。 16．Climate 17．March 18．Garden 19．near 20．279985 第二部分：知识运用（共两节，45分） 第一节 单项填空（共15小题；每小题1分，共15分） 21．B 22．A 23．A 24．C 25．C 26．B 27．B 28．A 29．B 30．D 31．C 32．A 33．D 34．D 35．C 第二节 完形填空（共20小题；每小题1.5分，共30分） 36．B 37．C 38．D 39．A 40．B 41．C 42．D 43．D 44．A 45．A 46．C 47．C 48．B 49．D 50．B 51．D 52．C 53．B 54．A 55．A 第三部分：阅读（共两节，40分） 第一节 （共15小题；每小题2分, 共30分） 56．C 57．A 58．D 59．D 60．C 61．C 62．A 63．B 64．B 65．C 66．A 67．D 68．C 69．B 70．B 第二节 （共5小题；每小题2分, 共10分） 71．A 72．C 73．G 74．B 75．F 第四部分：书面表达（共两节，35分） 第一节 情景作文（20分）
Last winter, we carried out an activity themed “Helping the Children in the Hope Primary School in Tibet”. In the class meeting, we watched CCTV news and learned about what the life of the children there was like and all of us were shocked. So we decided to do our bit. We put up some posters on the school notice board and gave out the handouts to the schoolmates. The next day, many students took part in the donation on the playground. Some donated their pocket money and some brought their new clothes and quilts. After that, we went to the post office to mail the donations to Tibet. We are more than glad to have such kind of activities, for we not only set up the bridge of friendship with the children in Tibet but also show our love to the children there. 第二节 开放作文（15分）
As can be seen in the picture, a boy is sitting in front of a scale. He’s put one box on one side of the scale, two on the other, making the scale lose its balance. The picture seems to convey us a message that laying much more emphasis on one thing will probably prevent the development of other things. Just like the scale in the picture, one extra box on one side will definitely result in unbalance. There are many similar phenomena in our life. Take us high school students for example. Faced with the pressure from school work, like the boy putting one extra box on one side of the scale, we tend to spend much more time on our studies than on the physical exercise. However, how can one keep healthy without enough exercise? In my opinion, what our society needs is that people develop both mentally and physically. To achieve success in the future, we should always keep our development balanced. 附：听力录音材料 Text 1 W: You’ve been watching TV for two hours, Jack. Why don’t you go out and play? M: It’s too hot to play outside. I want to go to the movie. Text 2 W: I need to drive across town, but the traffic is so heavy this time of day. Maybe I can take a taxi. M: When you take the subway, you’ll never have to deal with traffic. I never drive any more. Text 3 M: How will I recognize your house when I call for you, Sue? W: Well, it’s the same as all the others in the street, but look out for a big tree. It’s by the front gate and it’s covered in lovely white flowers at the moment. Text 4 M: Can you recommend something that a boy of 7 or 8 will really like? W: I’d suggest this toy train, sir. It’s an excellent brand. Very popular all over the world. Text 5 W: Hello, Linda Smith. M: Linda, this is Peter. Bill is in hospital. He was hit by a car. W: What? I’ll be right there. Text 6 W: What time will you be home today, David? M: I don’t know, mom. Maybe eight. It depends. If you lend me the car, I’ll be home early. W: You can’t have the car. I need it to go shopping. We have people for dinner tonight. M: Who’s coming? W: Uncle Bruce and Aunt Betty. M: When are they arriving? W: About six p.m. M: Are they bringing the kids? W: Of course! So, will you be home for dinner? M: I’ll be home as soon as I can, mom. W: If you’re not home by seven, we’re going to eat without you. Text 7 I’ve started this astronomy course — two hours a week on Monday evening. Every week the lecture shows a short film … we’ve seen one on the Hubble Space Telescope and another about the sun. It’s useful, although I can’t help thinking we could take the tapes away and do that bit at home. We have to work out lots of calculations in class and I must say that it’s wonderful! I thought it would be really hard work, but the time goes by really fast and there’s always a break — the coffee is not anything special and the music is just so-so! I can’t wait to get back to my math! Text 8 W: In the studio today we have Jonas, who’s just won an award for student journalism by writing an article about Madonna for his college newspaper. Jonas, welcome! I believe Madonna herself rang to congratulate you. M: Well, it’s true that I had a letter from her PR company, but I haven’t spoken to her myself. W: So, let’s start at the beginning. She was born in Detroit in 1958, is that right? M: Actually, at a place called Rochester. W: What about her family? M: Well, let’s see now, her father was an engineer. I think life was quite a battle for her. You see, she was the eldest of eight children and quite young when her mother died. Anyway, she did ballet, singing and piano lessons and got a scholarship to the University of Michigan. W: A scholarship? She must have been quite good. M: Well, I think, on the whole, she did well. Anyway, it wasn’t enough for her and she dropped out after two years and went to New York to find fame and fortune. W: Oh, right. OK, now tell us how her career took off … Text 9 M: Jenny, when did you begin to paint on stones? W: Er … it was four months ago, in fact. I was on a beach holiday with my parents, and there were all these nice, smooth stones. I brought loads home and started to paint them. I’ve done 89 so far. M: In only four months! You have been busy. You take a lot of care to select the flattest stones. And then what do you paint on these stones? W: I’m trying to paint a scene from every country in the world, most of which I haven’t been to. So I’ve done this stone, which has the Eiffel Tower in France on it … and this one of a Swiss mountain … and I’m working on a picture of the Brazilian rain forest at the moment. I sometimes use references from libraries for the things in my pictures. M: How specific they are. It’s amazing that no picture is more than five centimeters across, but they contain so much in such a tiny stone. Jenny, I’m greatly impressed by your enthusiasm and hard work. Text 10 M: Good morning, Conference Center. W: Good morning. I was wondering if you could give me some information about the coming International Conference on Climate Change. M: Of course. What do you need to know first? W: When exactly is the conference? M: Well, it runs for three days from March 1st to 3rd. W: OK. Where is it being held? Is it at the City University as before? M: No, this year it’s actually being held at the Garden Hotel, which is not far from the university. W: Right. Garden Hotel. Can we get accommodation at the hotel? M: Yes, but you need to reserve a room by yourself. I can give you their direct number, 279985. W: 279985. And what’s the registration fee? M: Individual fees are $ 300 for 3 days, or $ 120 a day if you only want to attend for one day. W: Oh, I may arrange for 3 days. Thank you very much. |
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