[13] People in Poland take their pleasure seriously. They like to have an aim even when spending the time which is entirely their own. During the summer, people start work very early in the morning so that they can finish early and enjoy a leisurely afternoon. It is difficult to imagine Polish people going aimlessly for a walk in the country, though they might go to pick wild fruit, to visit a place of historical importance or to walk 20 km as a training exercise. [14]They are often admired for their immense enjoyment of the arts. All of the parks are beautifully kept and are for the use and enjoyment of the people. Quite ordinary people will talk with obvious delight about concerts. There is nearly always a crowd at the door of the theatre, asking for returned tickets. People in Poland now have far more leisure time and more money than ever before. [15]It is therefore possible to spend the weekends in many new ways. Many people now have over 20 days holiday a year. This provides an opportunity for holidays in the country or at the seaside. Questions 13 to 15 are based on the passage you have just heard. 13. What is special about the Polish way of spending leisure time? 14. For what does the author admire the Polish People? 15. What do we learn from the passage? They often go for walks at a leisurely pace. They usually have a specific purpose in mind. They like the seaside more than the countryside. They seldom plan their leisure activities in advance.

People enjoy taking trips. [9]But what are the reasons they leave home? One reason is for education. People travel because they want to broaden their horizons, to learn about other people and other places. They are curious about other cultures. When people are tourists, they get a quick look at different ways of living. Even a short look at another kind of lifestyle is an important lesson. On a trip, a person can learn directly by visiting museums and historic spots. [10]What does a tourist learn who sees the art museums, visits the historic palaces, and other scenic spots in Paris, and shops along the River Seine? He gets a vivid picture—a real life—one of the French people. He learns about their attitudes: how they feel about business, beauty, and history. What about the tourist who goes to Hong Kong? Does he get the same information that he could get from a book? He might read that Hong Kong is crowded, that there is less than 200 square meters of space for each person. But seeing and feeling the lack of space will impress him much more. He might read that there are nearly 200 vehicles for every kilometer of roadway, but the sight of so many vehicles parked along the roadside will be a much more vivid lesson. [11]The tourist to Hong Kong will never forget the contrasts—the straight vertical lines of the tall modern buildings and the moving lines of boats that people live in. Questions 9 to 12 are based on the passage you have just heard. 9. Why do people leave home to travel according to the passage? 10. What do we learn from the passage about Paris? 11. What impression will a tourist get of Hong Kong? 12. What does the passage tell us about traveling? For education. For adventure. To enjoy themselves. To look for a different lifestyle.

Experts predict nine billion people will live on our planet by 2050. [16]They say by that time demand for food will be two times what it is now. Officials are worried about that prediction because many people already suffer from a lack of food. More than 800 million people go to bed hungry. A solution to the problem may be as close as our forests. [17]A new report says forests could help reduce hunger and improve nutrition if they are properly managed. Sayay Veoun works at the Cambodian Federation for Bee Conservation. He says some of the best honey in the world comes from forests in southern Cambodia. He says they work with five local honey buyers who work with 42 honey collectors. People like Hak Laang buy the honey at stores in the capital, Phnom Penh. She says it smells like fresh flowers. She says the smell means it is natural honey from the jungle. Healthy forests provide half of the fresh fruit we eat worldwide. They also produce valuable crops like coffee, avocados, cashews and other healthful seeds and nuts. Bhaskar Vira is the director of the University of Cambridge Conservation Research Institute and an expert with the International Union of Forest Research Organizations, or IUFOR. It recently released a report at the United Nations about forest and jungle foods. [18]Mr. Vira says crops that grow on trees can help feed people living in and around forests. “It’s like an insurance policy. Having access to those tree-based foods is hugely important when you can’t buy food from other sources or when you can’t produce food because your fields have failed.” The growing of crops requires fields. Many fields are created by clearing, or removing trees. But Mr. Vira says properly managed fields and forests can exist together. He says if you increase food production in the field, you can keep the forest and trees. He says they are important for the products and services they provide. The report says that forest health and economic value improves when people who live in or near forests are given greater control of them. [19]For example, a project in Ghana aims for proper management of forests and fields together. The people involved hope to grow the Allanblackia plant. The oil from its seed can be used in soap, beauty products and food. Okai Michael Henchard leads the project. He says he will help people who live nearby. “They earn money and get trees on their land. The trees provide shade and improve air quality.” Mr. Henchard said, “the project also helps fight climate change.” Questions 16 to 19 are based on the recording you have just heard. 16. According to the experts, what will be a problem in the year 2050? 17. What is the solution to hunger and nutrition improvement? 18. What is Bhaskar Vira’s idea about crops and trees? 19. What’s the aim of the project in Ghana? The population will increase uncontrollably. People will suffer from more serious lack of food. 800 million people will die from hunger. Forests will be replaced by more fields.

M: Hi, Jenny. Could I borrow some money until payday? W: Uh, yeah, I guess. How are things going anyway? M: Well, not very well. [1]I’ve used my credit cards to pay off a lot of things recently, but now, I can’t seem to pay the money off. W: Uh, do you have a budget? I mean, do you keep track of your income and expenses? M: No, but I guess I should have some financial plans. W: Well, let me see if I can help you. How much money do you spend on your apartment? M: [2]Uh, I pay $990 on rent for the studio apartment downtown... not including utilities and cable TV . But the place has a wonderful view of the city. W: Uh, $990! [2]Why are you paying so much for such a small place when you could find a cheaper one somewhere outside of the downtown area? M: Yeah, I guess. W: How much money do you spend on entertainment a month? M: Well, I spend a few dollars here and there on basketball and movie tickets, a concert or two, and ballroom dance lessons. About $50 perhaps. W: And what about transportation? M: Oh, [3]I commute to work everyday in my new sports car, and my monthly payments are $480. W: Well, I think you’ve got to reduce your spending, or you’ll end up broke. [4]I suggest you get rid of your credit cards, cut down on your entertainment expenses, and sell your car. Take public transportation from now on. Questions 1 to 4 are based on the conversation you have just heard. 1. What do we know about the man? 2. How would you describe the man’s apartment? 3. How much does the man spend on transportation every month? 4. What does the woman suggest the man do at the end of the conversation? He often borrows money from others. He has just received his monthly pay. He can’t pay off his credit cards. He has kept track of his income and expenses.

Students in American schools learn from an early age to give presentations as part of their regular classroom activities. Children as young as five years old often give brief talks about objects they bring to school—called “show and tell”. This training is a basis for later public speaking. Even so, many native English-speaking adults are afraid to speak or give presentations in front of a large group. Speaking English in public meetings is necessary for many students and employees. [20]The best way to improve is to practice public speaking in a friendly environment. According to Charles LeBeau, learners need to receive feedback about what they are doing well and about their mistakes. Charles LeBeau is a public speaking professor and consultant. He began his career in Japan in 1982. Currently, he teaches at two universities and at the Toshiba International Training Center. He has also written books on the subject. English language learners around the world use his book Speaking of Speech. [21]Speaking of Speech tells about a method of teaching public speaking for non-native speakers. Mr. LeBeau says a simple approach helps English learners. “The approach that I’ve taken is to simplify and break it down. First if we look at a presentation, what’s going on, there are basically three messages that the presenter is giving the audience, all simultaneously. There’s what I call the physical message. Physical message is basically body language. It’s the way that my body, as a speaker, is talking to the audience. And then there’s also the visual message. The visual messages are the slides that we make and show the audience. The third message is the story message. The story message is the content of our presentation. So another way we can think of the story message is that it’s the verbal message, it’s what we say to the audience. The story message also includes how we organize our ideas to present to the audience,” LeBeau said. [22]In the next “Speaking Tips” we will explore Charles LeBeau’s recommendations for improving the Physical Message. He thinks this is the public speaking skill that is the easiest for English learners to improve quickly. Questions 20 to 22 are based on the recording you have just heard. 20. What is the best way to improve American students’ public speaking? 21. What is the book Speaking of Speech about? 22. What message is the easiest for English speakers to improve quickly according to Charles Lebeau? Leaning to relax themselves before audience. Listening to celebrities’ public speaking as often as possible. Speaking in public and receiving useful feedback. Telling stories happening around them to their parents.

We all know that exercise is good for your health. But some kinds of exercise may be better than others. [23]Running, for example, may help to protect against heart disease and other health problems. Running may also help you live longer. Researchers say it is not important how far you run. It also does not matter how fast or even how often you run. As advertisements for the running shoe Nike say, “just do it”. Recently, researchers studied more than 55,000 adults. About one-fourth of the adults reported running regularly. The study found these runners were considerably less likely than non-runners to die of any form of disease, including heart disease. [24]In fact, the runners lived, on average, three years longer than non-runners. This study lasted 15 years. During that time, more than 3,400 of the individuals died. About 1,200 of the deaths were linked to heart disease, a heart attack or stroke. One of the researchers is a man named D.C Lee. He is an assistant professor at Iowa State University. Compared to non-runners, he says, runners showed 30 percent lower risk of death by any cause, including heart attack, stroke or cancer. Running may be good exercise, but it can be difficult on the body. Here are some commonly shared ideas among fitness experts to reduce the risk of injury for people new to running or jogging. Take it easy [25]Don’t run too much, too soon or too fast. Most people get running injuries when they push themselves too hard. The body needs time to get used to increases in distance or speed. Muscles and joints need time to recover. Listen to your body Most running injuries do not come out of the blue. Usually, there are warning signs. They may include body aches, sore muscles and pain that does not go away. Get good running shoes There is no single best shoe for every runner. You should find the shoe that offers the best fit and support for your feet. More importantly, you should replace your shoes every 500 to 800 kilometers. Take good notes Take time after each run to write down notes about what you did and how you felt. Questions 23 to 25 are based on the recording you have just heard. 23. What do we learn about running according to the lecture? 24. What information can we learn about the research of running? 25. What is the main cause of running injuries to most new runners? Running is the best way for people’s health. Running may keep people away from heart disease. Running fast and far matters a lot for people’s health. Nike is the best brand of running shoes for runners.

M: Good morning, Ms. Smith. Welcome to today’s show. W: Thank you. M: Today we’re going to talk about the living of foreign students in our country. You know, for many international students, coming to the United States and living here and studying can be a quite frightening experience, especially when finding housing. Can you give them some advice? W: Sure. Fortunately, there are a variety of options that students can look to. They can choose to live on campus or off campus. M: Then can you say something about on-campus living? W: Well, I think first of all for first-time students, [5]living on campus can provide a certain level of security because of its closeness to campus facilities since commuting without a car can be quite an experience, especially when you have to commute long distances. Often in dormitories, meals might be provided, and this can allow students to devote time to their academics, rather than housekeeping. M: That sounds quite good. Is there anything students should pay attention to when living on campus? W: Yes, [6]students should be aware that they’ll be required to abide by certain regulations dealing with student conduct as part of the contract of living on campus. M: Then what about off-campus living? W: [7]When you live off campus, there might be a certain amount of flexibility in choosing roommates that you might not have when living on campus. [8]But you should be aware that tenants may be responsible for furnishing their own apartments. M: Well, thank you, Ms. Smith, for the information you have provided for us. W: My pleasure. Questions 5 to 8 are based on the conversation you have just heard. 5. What is the advantage of living on campus? 6. What should students remember when living on campus according to the woman? 7. What is the advantage of off-campus living compared with on-campus living? 8. What should students do if they prepare to live off campus according to the woman? Meals are provided free of charge. Students are more secure. Students needn’t devote time to housekeeping. Students have more chances to make friends.