Section 1: Listening Test

Part A: Spot Dictation

　　Global warming?you may accept or reject those who say it is a dangerous phenomenon. But if the planet is warming, and humanity is contributing to it, shouldn’t someone be thinking about solutions? If the Earth is, in fact, engaged in a long-term warming cycle?and if humanity is partly responsible—can it be reversed?

　　Possible solutions to global warming range from the simple to the complex? from changing a light bulb to engineering giant reflectors in space. The most talked about solutions involve expanded use of alternative energy technologies, and less reliance on fossil fuels.

　　Volcanoes, forest fires, ocean and atmospheric variability are natural occurrences that change climate conditions. Might nature correct the warming trend itself? Climate scientists say that it seems very unlikely. Science doesn’t give us certainties. Science gives us likelihood. We think that it’s likely that climate warming of the last few decades isn’t due to the usual causes such as changes in the Earth’s orbit, changes in the sun, volcanoes, but it’s due primarily to humans adding greenhouse gases to the atmosphere.

　　John Topping of the nonprofit Climate Institute says it will be private industry?not governments?coming up with solutions. He argues that we need to get investment flows going in the direction of emerging clean energy technologies and part of that’s going to happen because we, as consumers, step forward and we are conscious in our buying habits to get more energy-efficient products. Higher gas prices are making fuel-efficient vehicles more attractive to consumers. Building and home constructions are becoming more energy efficient. Climate change is a huge challenge. But climate change also provides an opportunity for countries to really further themselves, and the only way to advance much globally, is to look at approaches that protect the environment at the same time that they promote equitable economic growth.

　　Wider application of renewable energy resources could reduce greenhouse gases and offset global warming. Some scientists are suggesting grander solutions, involving rearranging Earth’s environment; building huge sunshades in space, for example, tinkering with clouds to make them reflect more sunlight, perhaps tricking oceans into soaking up more heat-trapping gases. (350)

Part B: Listening Comprehension

Questions 1 to 5 are based on the following conversation.

M: So, Rachel, how did you finally quit?

W: Well, I had a friend who had had a three-pack-a-day habit. And he told me about this woman who hypnotized him, and he quit, and there was no pain at all! And so I just decided to give it a try. And it really worked!

M: Great!

W: Yeah, it worked for me. I had four treatments, and by the end of the fourth treatment, I had completely lost the urge to smoke.

M: Why do you think this method finally worked for you after you’d tried so many times to quit?

W: I think, you know, all the other times that I’d tried to quit there had been a part of me that wanted to keep smoking, you know? And I just had to reach the point where I was just ready.

M: Um-huh. Now, your son. How old is he now?

W: He’s twelve.

M: How does he feel about cigarettes?

W: He hated it when I smoked, he hated the smell, he was afraid for my health. He used to put messages in my cigarette pack in my pocket saying, “Quit smoking, Mom,” so that when I’d smoke I’d find them.

M: Yeah?

W: So he was really happy when I stopped smoking.

M: And how do you feel physically? How did you feel after you quit smoking?

W: The big thing I noticed, and I have a friend who quit at the same time and she noticed it too, is I just had so much more energy.

M: Huh.

W: And the second thing I noticed was smells. My sense of smell came back and I really liked being able to smell things again.

M: Did food taste better?

W: Oh, food tasted much better! Yeah.

M: Anything else you wanna add?

W: Um, the money!

M: Ah!

W: Uh, cigarettes are really expensive. When I quit, I calculated exactly how much it would cost to smoke for a year, at that time I was spending $4.50 a pack, and when I quit, I put the money in a savings account. And at the end of one year, I went out and bought myself and my son mountain bikes to celebrate our anniversary.

M: That’s great.

W: And I’ve just kept doing that for three years, and every year I use the money for something healthy to make our lives more fun. (405 words)

Question 1:  

What are the two speakers talking about?

Question 2:

How many treatments did Rachel have to achieve her purpose?

Question 3:    

What kind of treatment helped Rachel quit smoking?

Question 4:

Which of the following statements is probably TRUE with Rachel?

Question 5:

For how many years has Rachel stayed off cigarettes?

Questions 6 to 10 are based on the following news.

Berlin, Germany—Germany’s economic growth in the past year was largely driven by overseas trade, according to official statistics. The German economy grew by 0.4% in the past year compared with the previous year, the German statistics agency said, confirming its earlier estimate.

　　Foreign trade drove the increase, accounting for 1.1 percentage points of the rise in gross domestic product.

　　However, weak domestic demand cut 0.7 percentage points from the figure.

　　The balance of exports and imports was the “key economic engine in the period”, the statistics office said. Despite the weak domestic demand at the end of last year, economists said they now expected it to pick up.

　　High job security and rising incomes as well as very low inflation have been boosting consumer confidence to record highs lately and should translate into stronger household spending growth in 2014.

New York, The United States－Twitter’s share price had more than doubled in value since the company was floated on the stock market in November, when it was valued at around 18 billion dollars, said in a statement recently released by the company.

　　Twitter pledged to continue to improve its services to advertisers in the hope of growing revenues further. Twitter brings in money largely by selling advertising space and data on tweeting habits. More than 90% of its revenues last year came from advertising, where advertisers pay to have their tweets promoted and appear in users’ feeds. Three-quarters of advertising income comes from mobile platforms like smart-phones, the company said.

Canberra, Australia－Toyota Motor Corp issued a statement on Monday saying it would stop making cars and engines in Australia by the end of 2017, marking the end of an era for a once-vibrant auto production base and the loss of thousands of direct and indirect jobs.

　　Toyota’s decision follows the planned exits of General Motors and Ford Motor announced last year and would leave no global automaker remaining in Australia as high costs and a strong currency make it an unattractive production base.

　　About 2,500 jobs will be affected when the plant stops building cars in 2017, the company said.

Rome, Italy－Italian unemployment is more than twice the average rate in the euro-zone. The number of people out of work in the single currency bloc in December was 19 million, with the jobless rate at 12%, according to official EU figures. Other economic figures such as retail sales, manufacturing activity and construction, have pointed to signs that Italy’s recession has bottomed out.

　　However, Italy’s unemployment rate is expected to rise further in the first three months of 2014 as firms continue to restructure and cut jobs. “As expected, the labor market showed a lagging reaction to other positive signs in the economy,” said some economists at National Bank in Rome.

　　With 1.38 million people officially jobless, turning around the country’s economy will take time, even if the recovery does start this year as Rome hopes.

Washington, The United States—The woman accused of killing six people in a horrific crash in California was spotted driving the wrong way on two freeways before she drove her BMW at 100mph into a Ford Explorer, the California Highway Patrol says. At least 17 witnesses called 911 before the crash to report seeing the vehicle on the 57 and 60 freeways early Sunday morning, reports the Los Angeles Times.  

　　The driver, 21-year-old Olivia Brown, is still in hospital and has been charged with six counts of murder. She has a previous drunk driving conviction and was on a “girls’ night out” when the deadly crash occurred. Her two passengers, one of them her sister, were killed along with all four people in the Explorer. (616 words)

Question 6:

What was Germany’s economic growth rate in the past year?

Question 7.

How much of Twitter’s income came from advertising last year according to the company’s statement?

Question 8.

What did Toyota Motor Corp say it would do in its Monday statement?

Question 9.

What do we know about Italian unemployment according to official EU figures?

Question10.

Why has the 21-year-old woman been charged with six counts of murder?

Questions 11 to 15 are based on the following interview.

(Woman) As the comic industry continues its painful metamorphosis into the vessel shaped to contain the output of artists and writers in the 21st Century, one has to admire those individuals who have persevered through wave after wave of innovation and disaster by staying in the game. One such veteran is famed artist and writer, Paul Phillips. It was archetypal for Paul Phillips to start his professional career in the comics field in the early '90s, but unlike many of his contemporaries, he continues to improve on the lessons of his youth, producing works of increasing complexity and depth. Here in the studio with us today we have Mr. Paul Phillips. First of all, Paul, thank you for taking the time to talk with us. Let's start with a modicum of biographical info. Where and when were you born?

(Man): Oxford, late 1965.

W: How early did you exhibit an interest for drawing? Was there anything else you wanted to do growing up?

M: I've always drawn. My father insists that he gave me an "art lesson" when I was four years old, and was surprised that I could draw better than he could. With encouragement like that, it was a done deal.

W: What type of training did you undergo in preparation for your career as an artist?

M: When I was very young, I developed a training method that taught me a great appreciation for different art styles. I found some tracing paper and decided to place it over comics drawn by Neal Adams, Jack Kirby, and Frank Springer. For some reason, I decided that, rather than just tracing, I should use the underlying drawings as a skeletal structure. I decided that I would try to interpret the stylistically disparate drawings in a style of my own. What this taught me was that these artists each had unique strengths, and each one had a different thing to teach me. I also drew what I saw on the black and white horror films that I loved. Later, I checked out hundreds of books from the local libraries ...anything that contained art. It could be French or Russian poster art, or photo collages, or Renaissance painters. I eventually took courses in college.

W: Was it helpful? If so, which parts prepared you the most?

M: It was all helpful. Actually, I think that the best thing you can do is study EVERYTHING around you. There are art lessons everywhere, in classrooms and out.

W: Was your family supportive of your decision to be an artist?

M: My family was very encouraging, especially my mother, who had wanted to be a commercial artist herself. She was constantly creating something, whether it was a painting or some craftwork.

W: So you’ve been dedicated to art ever since you were a small kid?

M: Well, when my mother passed away, I decided to concentrate on the "real world" for a while. I bought a trailer and took on a full time job in a grocery store as a department manager, and two part time jobs. I cooked pizzas at one job, and at another I played a minor role in a drama society. I actually had a fourth job, doing a cartoon for a local newspaper, but that was the only art-related job I did.

W: I’m afraid time is up for this part of our program. Let’s continue after the commercial break. Please don’t go away. (574)

Question 11:

When did Paul Phillips begin his professional career in the comics field?

Question 12:

In his early childhood, what did Paul Phillips do to make his father surprised?

Question 13:

Which of the following could be concluded about the man’s art education?

Question 14

What did Paul say about her mother?

Question 15

When Paul decided to concentrate on the "real world" for a while, he took several jobs. Which of the following was NOT one of these jobs?

Questions 16 to 20 are based on the following talk.

   Good morning, everyone. I’m going to give a brief summary of the transition from export marketing to global marketing. Basically, there are three phases in this transition. These are: export marketing, international marketing, and global marketing.

   Let’s describe the first phase, which is export marketing. Export marketing has four main characteristics. First, with export marketing there is home-based production and home-based management. Secondly, there is direct selling to the export markets. Next, it’s common to use agents and distributors. Finally, it’s possible that there are sales centers in overseas markets. Overall, the investment costs are low with export marketing because almost everything, especially production and management, is still centered on the home base.

   Now let’s look at the second phase, international marketing. Here I identify three main characteristics. The first is that production has expanded to overseas markets. This is very important. Next, there is local management. This means you have local cost centers, individually responsible for making a profit. Finally, there is much more local employment of staff and management. Altogether, this means there is more investment, so investment with international marketing is high.

   Now we come to the third phase, which is global marketing, with at least four main characteristics. The most important is that the brand name, or brand names, are international, like IBM or Coca-Cola. Secondly, the business is established in all major world markets. This means, and this is the third point, that the business has a global identity. Next, the business has cost centers in all major markets. The fourth and final point is that the production is often complex, with parts made and transported all over the world between various centers. An example here is a laptop, where perhaps the chips, the circuit board, the case, the screen, the packaging, the documentation, are all made in different locations around the world. Maybe Singapore, Brazil, Italy or South Africa. The result is that the global marketing phase involves very high levels of investment, higher than the other two phases.

   That is a good summary of the stages between export marketing and global marketing. Does anyone have any questions or need clarification on any point?   (363 words)

Question 16:

What’s the main topic of this talk?

Question 17.

Which of the following is TRUE with the phase of export marketing?

Question18.

What do we know about the phase of international marketing?

Question 19.

What is the most important characteristic of global marketing?

Question 20.

Which of the following phases involves the highest levels of investment?

This is the end of Section 1: Listening Test.   (第一部分聽力結束, 請考生…)

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