National English Contest for College students
(Level C-Preliminary)
Part I Listening Comprehension (30 marks)
Section A (5 marks)
In this section，you will hear five short conversations. Each conversations will be read only once.
At the end of each conversation，there will be a twenty-second pause，read the question and the
there 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.What does the man want to do?
A.Get something to eat now.
B.Find a quiet place that shows games.
C.Watch the next game with the woman.
2.Why does not the man have a MySpace account?
A.He is not skilled at using computer.
B.All of the instruction are in English
C.The woman won not teach him.
3.How long does the woman plan to try teleworking
A.For a few days.
B.For a few weeks.
C.For a few months.
4.What does the man hope will happen?
A.The price of cell phone novels will go down.
B.The novel’s author will writer longer stories.
C.The woman will tell him ho the story ends.
5.what is the woman going to do next?
A.turn on her computer.
B. Go for a walk with peter.
C.Visit her new neighbors.
Section B (10 marks)
In this section，you will hear two long conversations. Each conversation will be read only once.
At the end each conversation，there will be a one minute pause. During the pause，read the
questions，each with 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.
Conversation one
6.What did Jack do over the summer?
A.He studied very hard.
B.He took a summer class.
C.He visited one of his teachers.
7.What does Jack think of Ms Wellington as a teacher?
A.Easy-going.
B.Tough.
C.Interesting.
8.Why is Ms Wellington’s class hard?
A.Her exams are difficult.
B.She does not give students the help they need.
C.She makes do lots of work.
Conversation two
9.Why is Mrs. Griffin going to the city where the hotel is located?
A.He is on holiday.
B.He’s on a business trip
C.He is going to a conference.
10. How many times has Mrs. Griffin stayed at the Sunrise Hotel?
A. Twice.
B. Once.
C. Three times.
11. Where is Mrs. Griffin form?
A. Canada.
B. New Zealand.
C. Australia.
12. What is Mrs. Griffin’s passport number?
A.87647489
B.87637289
C.87637489
13. What kind of room does Mrs. Griffin want?
A. A single room for two nights.
B. A double room for two nights.
C. A single room for one night.
14. When will Mrs. Griffin arrive at Sunrise Hotel?
A. at 9:15 pm
B. at 9:35 pm
C. at 10:00 pm
15. What food will be put into Mrs. Griffin’s room?
A. a sandwich with fries.
B. a cheese sandwich.
C. a burger with chips.
Section C (5Marks)
16. What does the Associated Press ask editor and news directors to do?
A. vote for the top stories of the year.
B. describe the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico
C. writes about the 11 workers killed in the explosion
17. Where are the doctors and technology experts from?
A. New York.
B. London
C. Tokyo
18. For how long does President Obama agree to extend the tax cuts?
A. for four years
B. for three years
C. for two years.
19. How many people in the world don’t have enough to eat,according to the report?
A. more than one billion.
B. some six hundred million.
C. nearly nine hundred million
20. What have astronomers recently discovered?
A. there are unknown plants in older galaxies.
B. there are many galaxies in the universe
C. there are a lot more red dwarf in older galaxies
Section D (10 marks)
In the section，you will hear a short passage. There are 10 missing words phrases. Fill in the
blanks with the exact words or phrases you hear. Remember to write the answer on the answer
sheet
What do you do if you don’t get your first choice university?This ____ faces thousands of
British every year. Many such_____ turn to Clearing，a service that helps find university places for
students at the last moment. If they don’t have the marks to get into their____，Clearing tells them
about places available at other university，though they might have to read a difficult subject.
This year has seen a record number of people applying to university. This，combined with
the _____________________,an uncertain job market，and budget cuts at university，product even
more of a scramble for places than usual. Some sources say six students have applied for each
remaining___________________________ place
The British University Admissions Service，UCAS，says up to a quarter of this year’s
university applicants-almost 190000 people-have not been admitted into
a____________________________. That is an increase of over 46000 students from last year.
Faced with these figure，some British students might consider an interesting
alternative:_____________________________. The University of Nottingham for is offering
place at its campuses in Ningbo，near Shanghai，and Kuala Lumpur，Malaysia. Students at these
institutions can earn University of Nottingham degrees，according，engineering and English.
Similarly，the University of Bolton says it has unlimited places at its campus in the United Arab
Emirates.
To deal with these problems，the UK’s HigherEducation Minister，David Willet’s，is
encouraging students who have not made the grade to consider alternatives to university，such as
_______________________and studying at home.
“There are arrange of options available，“he says. “people can reapply nextyear，so they
should consider spending this year in a way that will add positively to their CVs. Getting
_____________________or other skills will strengthen their chances next year.” Some
commentators say，though that rising university costs，poor
long-term_______________________，and a drop in graduate recruitment mean this the worst
time to be a university student in the UK.
Part Two Vocabulary and Structure (15 marks )
There are 15 incomplete sentences in this section. For each blank there are four choices marked
A，B，C and D. Choose the one that best completes the sentence. Then mark the corresponding
letter on the answer sheet with a single line through the centre.
31.After four days of talks，we are glad to announce that the union and management have reached
an____A__. The agreement is fair and benefits both sides.
A.accord B. accomplishment C. identity D. undertaking
32.As the clerk__B___prepared my milk shake，I wondered how long she had been working
there ,mindlessly making ice cream treats in a set order of steps.
A.logically B. methodically C. graphically D. synthetically
33. As a boy he wanted to be a fireman. As a high school student，he thought he''d like to become a
teacher. Now he___C___to be nothing more than a janitor.
A.Assumes B. Prescribes C. Aspires D. Presumes
34. Regardless of what caused it，I an grateful that have finally reached a point in my
life__B_____I can appreciate my strengths，accept my weaknesses and try to be comfortable with
everything in between.
A.Why B. Where C. Which D. What
35. _C_____information provided by members of the public，the police would have a much move
difficult job.
A.Supposing B. Provided the C. If it were not for D. On condition that
36.Peter Brown was a painstaking writer;_D___，he once spent half a day on the composition of a
single sentence.
A.On the other hand B. Nevertheless C. Moreover D. For example
37.----What an I going to do about a present for Carol?
----You_C_____some flowers.
A.Might have sent her B. Must have sent her C. Could send her D. Would send
her
38.Without the air holding in some of the sun''s heat，the earth_B_____cold at night，too cold for
us to live on.
A.Will be freezing B. Would be freezing C. An be frozen D. Would be frozen
39.The students in our university each__A____an English dictionary. That is to say，each of the
students in our university______an English dictionary.
A.Have；has B. Have；have C. Has；have D. Has；has
40.Here''s your kitchen. I hope you enjoy cooking here. Is there__B____else that you need?
A.Something B. Anything C. Nothing D. Everything
41.David_____C_his business partner over plans to reduce the workforce.
A.Came down to B. Broke down to C. Fell out with D. Went along with
42.___A___is this piece of equipment to be removed from the building.
A.On no account B. Absolutely C. Scarcely D. Not at all
43.Helen'' s parents were_C_____that she was still on the job.，but she had resigned.
A.In doubt B. Of the opinion C. Under the impression D. With suspicion
44.----I don''t think I will ever，in my life，win a lottery of five million dollars.
----Well，_____D. Anything can happen.
A.You made it B. You''re kidding C. What you say D. You can never tell
45.-----How did you find the concert in the Grand Theatre last night?
-----____B__ but the conductor was perfect.
A.I couldn''t agree more B. I didn''t think much of it C. I was crazy about it D. I
really liked
Part Three Cloze(15 marks )
I have been reading a lot on my iPad recently，and I have some (46)____complaints_ (complain)
not about the iPad itself but about the state of digital reading generally. Reading is a subtle thing，
and its subtleties are artifacts of a venerable medium：words printed in ink on paper. Glass and
pixels aren''t the same.
When I read a physical book，I don''t have to look anywhere else to find out how much I''ve read.
The iPad e---reader，iBooks tries to create the (47) illu___remain of a physical book. The pages
seem to turn，and I can the edges of those that remain，but it''s fake. There are always exactly six
unturned pages，no matter (48)____where_ I am in the book.
Also，there is a larger problem. Books in their digital format look vastly less "finished"，or less
genuine than real books. You can vary their font and type size，but this only makes them
(49)___resemble_(resemble) word---processed---no matter how (50)wretched___(wretch) or
wonderful they are---will never look as good as Robert Hass''s poems in the print edition of The
Apple Trees at Olema. But your poems can look almost exactly as ugly---as "e---book---like" ---as
the Kindle version of that collection.
All the e---book I''ve read have been ugly---books by Chang---rae Lee，Alvin Kernan，and Stieg
Larsson---though the texts have been wonderful. I didn''t grow up reading texts. I grew up reading
books，and this(51)___difference__(differ) is important.
When it comes to digital editions，the(52)_assumption____(assume) seems to be that all
books(53)are___created_ _(create) equal. However，nothing could be further from the truth.
In the mass migration from print to digital，we''re seeing a profusion of digital books---many of
them out of copyright---that look new and even "HD," but which may well have been supplanted
by more accurate editions and better translations. We need a digital readers'' guide---a place where
readers can find(54)__out__ whether the book they''re about to download is the best available
edition.
(55)Fi__nally___，two related problems. I already have a personal library，but most of the books
I''ve read have come from(56)__lending___(lend) libraries. Barnes & Noble has released an
e---reader that allows short---term (57) ____borrowing_(borrow) of some books. The entire idea
behind Amazon''s Kindle and Apple''s iBooks assumes that you cannot read a book unless you own
it first and that only you can read it unless you want to give your reading device to someone else.
This goes against the social value of reading，the collective knowledge and
(58)___collaborative__(collaborate) discourse that comes from access to (59)__shared_or our
culture in general.
Part Four Reading Comprehension (40 marks).
Section A (10 marks ).
Questions 61 to 65 are based on the following passage.
Not keen on reading?Do you have trouble finding a novel that arouses your interest?Why not
follow Ammon Shea''s example and start reading a dictionary?
Mr Shea owns over 1,000 dictionaries and he reads them for fun. He recently spent a year
reading all 20 volumes of the Oxford English Dictionary. The dictionary contains more than
20,000 pages and over 59 million words.
As he read from A to Z，he noted down interesting words in a ledger. This includes words such
as "happify," meaning to make someone happy and "tripudiate"，which means to dance，skip or
leap for joy. Mr Shea also kept a diary about this experience，which has since become a
best---selling book.
Why did he do this?He claims it was fun. "I''ve always enjoyed reading dictionaries . They are
far more interesting than people give then credit for," he said.
It appears that it was not his goal to sound more intelligent by using longer and more complex
words. "I''m not against long，fancy or obscure words，but I''m opposed to using then for their own
sake," he said.
In fact ,as a result of reading so many new words，Mr Shea often forgot everyday vocabulary.
He wrote，"My head was so full of words that I often had trouble forming simple sentences."
Mr Shea is not alone in his love of reading dictionaries.Elaine Higgleton，a representative of
Collins Cbuild dictionaries，explained that thousands of crossword puzzle and Srabble fans read
dictionaries for fun and to improve their games. Ms Higgleton did however note that，"It''s
probably not the best way to learn English ,and you''d learn more than you need." It is not known
how many of the 59 million words Ms Shea remembers，but he has certainly made history with his
eccentric hobby.
Questions 61 to 65.
Decide whether the following statements are True or False.
61. Mr Shea has read 1.000 dictionaries.F
62.Mr Shea spent one month reading the Oxford English Dictionary.F
63.In Mr Shea''s opinion,people don''t give dictionaries enough credit for being interesting.T
64.Mr Shea thinks it is important t be able to use long and complicated words in everyday
conversation.F
65.Elaine Higgleton thinks that reading a dictionary is the best way to learn English.F
Section B (10 marks)
Questions 66 to 70are based on the following passage.
Surfing is something people often get hooked on after trying it a few times. For many surfers it
is much more than a hobby---they would probably agree with the American professional surfer
Kelly Slater when he said,"Once you''re in，you''re in. There''s no getting out."
"Surfing"，of course，refers to riding on ocean waves using a surfboard. Many surfers stand up
on their boards，which requires god balance and is therefore difficult for most beginners to learn，
but some lie down and "bodyboard"
The history of surfing probably began with the Polynesian people of the Pacific Islands. One of
the first white people to see anyone surfing was the British explorer Captain Gook，when his ship
arrived in Hawaii in 1779. He watched many Hawaiians riding waves on large pieces of wood，
and reported that，"Surfing seems to give them a feeling of great pleasure. "
When surfing started to become very popular in the United States in the 1950''s and 60s，surfers
used large wooden boards (often more than three metres long) that were quite heavy. Boards today
are shorter and also much lighter，because they are made of artificial materials instead of wood.
For anyone who wants to try surfing. The only essentials are waves and a board. There are a
few other things，however，that most surfers find important；a cord t attach one of their ankles to
the board and therefore stop it from being carried a long way away when they fall off''；wax，which
they put on the surface of the board to help their feet stick to it；and a wetsuit to help them keep
warm in cold water. The south---west of English is an example of a place where surfers usually
need wetsuits，even in summer.
Surfing has been a professional sport for many yeara and the very best surfers are able to make
a living from it. Most of the best professional surfers in the last 30 years，both men and women，
have been American or Australian，but surfers from Brazil，Peru and South Africa have also won
important competitions.
Questions 66 to 70
Answer the following questions with the information given in the assage in a maximum of 10
words for each question.
66.Why do most beginners find it difficult t stand up on a surfboard?
Because standing up on their boards requires god balance .
67.In what part of the world did surfing probably begin?
The Polynesian people of the Pacific Islands.
68.When did surfing start to become very popular in the United States?
In the 1950''s and 60s
69.What do surfers use wax for?
To help their feet stick to the board
70.According to the passage，in what part of the world do surfers usually need wetsuits?
In the southwest of England
Section C (10 marks)
Questions 71 to 75 are based on the following passage.
The latest human development reportfrom the United Nations Development Programmed
(UNDP) contains some good news，but also a very serious warning about the threat posed y
climate change.
The report，published annually since 1990，seeks to asses “human development” around
the world，and calculates a “Human Development Index (HDI) for 169 counties. The HDI is based
on average income，life expectancy and level of education in a country. Not surprisingly，rich
counties tend to have higher HDIs than poor counties，but there are interesting variations in
human development among countries with similar levels of economic development，because some
have better health and education systems than others.
According to the report，the county with the highest level of human development is
Norway，followed by Australia，New Zealand，the United States and Ireland. Most of the lowest
HDIs belong to counties in sub-Saharan Africa.
Almost all counties around the worlds have higher HDIs now than in 1990，despite the
fact that since the financial crisis，the total number of people living in extreme poverty has
increased. The report concludes that most people are healthier，live longer，are better educated and
have access to more goods and services. Even in countries with severe economic problems，
people’s level of health and education as generally improved. Although sub-Saharan African
countries are at the bottom of the pile in terms of human development，some of them have made
significant progress since 1990. The report is critical，however，of the fact economic inequality has
increased significantly in the last twenty years，both within and between countries.
The greatest threat to improving HDIs in the future，according to the report，is climate
change. Economic growth increases average incomes in a country through increasing production
and consumption. However，if this leads to greater emissions of greenhouse gases，as has always
been the case in the past，global warning will probably accelerate，and cause severe environmental
problem s in some parts of the world hat will threaten the livelihoods of huge numbers f people.
The progress of the last twenty years，therefore，might not be sustainable.
The only solution，according to the report，I to break the link between economic growth
and greenhouse gas emissions-which，needless to say，is easier，said than done.
Questions 71 to 75
Complete the following sentences with information given in the passage in a maximum of 10
words for each blank.
71. The concept of “human development” is based on the following three factors：_____ average
income，____ life expectancy _______and___ level of education
72. Some countries with similar levels of economic development have quite different HDIs
because they have_______ better health and education systems than others.
______.
73._______________ The financial crisis,__has caused the number of people living in extreme
poverty to increase since .
74. The report says that _______ climate change______ is the greatest threat to increasing HDIs in
the future.
75. The report says the link between_____ economic growth _____ and ________ greenhouse gas
emissions-____needs to be broken.
Section D (10 marks)
Questions 76 to 80 are based on the following passage
It is natural for young people to be critical of their parents at times and to blame them for
most of the misunderstanding between them. They have always complained，more or less justly，
that their parents are out of touch with modern ways；that they are possessive and dominant；that
they do not trust their children to deal with crises：that they talk too much about certain
problems-and that they have no sense o humor，at least parent-child relationships.
I think it is true that parents often underestimate their teenage children and also forget how
they felt themselves when were young.
Young people often irritate their parents with their choices in clothes，hairstyles，
entertainers and music. This is not their motive. They feel cut off from the adult world into which
they have not yet been accepted，so they create a culture and society and their own. Then，if it
turns out that their music，entertainers，vocabulary，clothes or hairstyles irritate their parents，this
gives them additional enjoyment. They feel they are superior，at least in a small way，and that they
are leaders in style and taste.
Sometimes teenagers are resistant and proud because they do not want their parents to
approve of what they do. If they did approve，it looks as if the teenager is betraying his own age
group. All this is assuming that the teenager is the underdog：he can not win but at least he can
keep his honor. This is a passive way of looking at things. It is natural enough after years of
childhood，when children were completely under their parent’s control，but it ignores the fact that
when they become teenagers，children are beginning to be responsible for themselves.
If you plan to control your life，co-operation should be a part of that plan. You can charm
other people，especially your parents，into doing things the way you want. You can also impress
people with your of responsibility and your initiative，so that they will give you the authority to do
what you want to do.
Questions 76 to 78
Choose the best answer according to the passage.
76 the first paragraph is mainly about______A_______.
A teenagers’ criticism of their parents
B misunderstanding between teenagers and their parents
C the dominance of parents over their children
D teenagers’ ability to deal with crises
77 teenagers have strange clothes and hairstyles because they____B_______
A have a strong desire to be leaders in style and taste
B want to prove their existence by creating a culture of their own
C have no other way to enjoy themselves
D want to irritate their parent
78 teenagers do not want their parents to approve of what they do because they
_____D__________.
A have already been accepted into adult world
B feel that they are superior to adult world
C want to win adults over to their culture
D don’t want to appear to be disloyal to their own age group
Question 79 to 80
Translate the sentences in the passage into Chinese
79 I think it is true that parents often underestimate their teenage children and also forget how they
felt themselves when were youn我以为父母经常低估她们十几岁孩子，同步也忘掉她们年轻
时候感受。
80 You can charm other people，especially your parents，into doing things the way you want.
你可以用你责任感和积极性去影响别人，因而她们（父母）才干给你权利去做你想要做事情。
Part V translate(10 mark)
Translate the following sentences into English，using the words given brackets. Remember to write
your answer on the answer sheet.
81她以牺牲健康为代价获得财富。(at the cost of )
He gained wealth at the cost of destroying his health.（He become wealthy at the cost of his
health.
82我不懂得有多少学生涉及到这次事件。(be involved in )
I don’t know（have no idea） how many students are involved in this incident.
83为孤儿捐款，请按如下地址或电话同咱们联系。(contact)
In order to donate money to the solid child（To make donations to orphans ,please contact us
according to the following address or telephone number.
84当前，在韩国和日本，汉语已成为第二外语，仅次于英语。(second to)
Recently (At present)Chinese has become the second foreign language ,second only to English
in Japan and South Korea.
85要不是下雨，咱们旅行本来是不久乐。(but for)
But for the rain，we could have had a pleasant journey.
Part VII writing (30 marks)
Task I (10marks)
It’s the beginning of a new year. Write describing resolutions you make to try to change your life
and why you Li Ming instead.
Write a note of about100 words in an appropriate style on theanswer sheet.
Task II (20marks)
Write about the following topic .
Success is something most people try to achieve. What does success mean to different
people，and what is your view or success?
Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant example from your own knowledge or
experience.
Write your article in about 140 words in an appropriate style on theanswer sheet.
The south---west of English
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