High in the Mojave desert, 130 miles northeast of Los Angeles, lies a vast field of mirrors. Crisscrossing rows of glass and metal, glinting in the sunlight, cover a full square mile of dirt. It is a fully operational array of power plants churning out an average of 180 megawatts of electricity. [*] Most people think of solar power as a flat panel on every rooftop. But photovoltaic panels have limitations. They work fine when the sun is strong, but when the clouds roll in you’ d better have batteries to run the TV and dishwasher. And even on the sunniest days the panels are not very well suited for cities, where roof space is limited. For decades, engineers have been working on ways to catch the sun over a broad area concentrating it and using it to produce electricity on the same scale as centralized coal, hydro or nuclear power plants—hundreds of megawatts at a time. Several pilot plants have been operating in California, some for decades, but so far they have not had enough volume to force costs down to competitive levels. Some countries are expected to go with much larger plants capable of generating more than 100 megawatts each. If some of the projects are completed, costs could come down from the current 15 cents a kilowatt-hour for the Mojave plant to 8 cents per kwh in the next 8 to 10 years. That would go a long way toward closing the gap with gas and oil, which now cost as little as 4 cents per kwh. The Mojave plant is one of the world’ s first commercial solar power plants, with five solar Electric Generating Systems (SEGS) supplying electricity to southern California. The basic component of a SEGS plant is a row of mirrors that reflect sunlight onto a pipe filled with oil. The oil heats up and is used to produce steam, which turns an electrical turbine. Assemble a few dozen rows of these trough-mirrors, and you have got capacity to generate 30 megawatts of power, enough for half a small town. The problem with trough technology is that the oil loses its heat too quickly. When the sun goes down, so does the power. A Solar Tres design uses molten salt instead of oil. Since salt holds more heat longer than oil, it can drive turbine through the night. Concentric rings of mirrors direct sunlight to a tank of molten salt. When the stuff is hot enough, some goes straight to a generator to produce steam, while the rest is stored for use at night. The 15-megawatt Solar Tres plant would be the first long-term commercial power production project. Since the electricity is expected to be costly close to 20 cents per kwh, the Spanish government plans to subsidize the plant. The next big thing—Dish systems—is already in the works. The building block of such a plant is a parabolic mirror, shaped like a satellite dish, that reflects sunlight onto a small generator suspended in front. The heat drives a turbine. Theoretically a dish configuration would produce more energy per acre than other solar concentrating plants, that is, if engineers could figure out a good way of linking many dishes together. Questions 66 ~ 70 Answer the following questions with the information given in the passage.

Which one below is true according to the news?In this section， you will hear five short news items. Each item will be read only once. After each item， there will be a fifteen-second pause. During the pause， read the question and the four choices marked A， B， C and D，and decide which is the best answer. Then mark the corresponding letter on the answer sheet with a single line through the centre. 16. The prime minister， David Cameron， is urging today’s youngsters to look beyond the traditional French and German lessons to concentrate on the tongue of the future—Mandarin. Cameron said that a partnership between the British Council and Hanban— the Chinese National Office for Teaching Chinese as a Foreign Language— will double the number of Chinese language assistants in the UK by 2016 and provide increased funding to lower the cost to schools of offering Mandarin as a language option. 17. Max Baucus， the influential Democratic senator from Montana， is set to become the next US ambassador to China. “It’s an interesting ‘ pick ’ in the sense that security competition with China is heating up and he doesn’t have much of a record on security issues，” said Dan Blumenthal， director of Asian studies at the American Enterprise Institute. While Baucus will certainly get up to speed， he’s probably less likely than his predecessors to interfere with the White House and the Pentagon on military or political issues. 18. According to the European Commission’s Institute for Energy， just 0. 3 percent of the Saharan Desert’s intense solar energy can provide Europe with all the electrical power it needs. A company called Nur Energy plans to capture some of it by building a solar plant similar to an Israeli one in the Negev desert that uses heliotropic mirrors. This technology， unlike photovoltaic cells， can generate energy even when the sky is overcast or at night. Thousands of mirrors， spread over 100 square kilometers， will concentrate sunlight to a tower where it heats and melts a special salt. 19. The pressure to feed Asia’s growing population has led to dangerous levels of overfishing near Pacific coastlines. An example can be found in Sindangan， a fishing town in the southern Philippines. Wild catches are falling while prices are rising. The fisherman says the area’s once healthy fish stocks are in danger because of an increase in the number of fishing boats. Across the South China Sea， fish catches near shore have dropped since the nineteen eighties. That drop has pushed fishermen to go offshore with bigger boats. Benjamin Francisco is an official with the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization. He says some of the methods they use to increase their catches are destructive. 20. In 1961， Hal Berman became the first chief of Special English. He saved Special English from destruction by people who did not see its value. And he showed how to change one thousand five hundred words into a living language that informed， educated and entertained millions of people. In the beginning， Special English had one fifteen-minute news show that was broadcast to Africa and Asia once a day. Today， Special English broadcasts thirty-minute programmes by shortwave and medium-wave sixteen times a day around the world. The UK will increase the investment on the teaching of Chinese. The UK has been greatly short of teachers proficient in Chinese. The UK government refuses the help from China for Chinese learning. Students in the UK are encouraged to insist on the learning of French and German.

—How did your job interview go? —______The interviewer seemed interested in what I said while he was listening, but he didn’ t asked for further information. Perfect! I am not sure. That’ s all right. Couldn’ t be better. I am sure I could get the offer.

[*] To paraphrase 18th-century statesman Edmund Burke, “all that is needed for the triumph of a misguided cause is that good people do nothing.“ One such cause now seeks to end biomedical research because of the theory that animals have rights ruling out their use in research. Scientists need to respond forcefully to animal rights advocates, whose arguments are confusing the public and thereby threatening advances in health knowledge and care. Leaders of the animal rights movement target biomedical research because it depends on public funding, and few people understand the process of health care research. Hearing allegations of cruelty to animals in research settings, many are perplexed that anyone would deliberately harm an animal. For example, a grandmotherly woman staffing an animal rights booth at a recent street fair was distributing a brochure that encouraged readers not to use anything that comes from or is tested in animals—no meat, no fur, no medicines. Asked if she opposed immunizations, she wanted to know if vaccines come from animal research. When assured that they do, she replied, “ Then I would have to say yes.“ Asked what will happen when epidemics return, she said, “ Don’ t worry, scientists will find some ways of using computers.“ Such well-meaning people just don’ t understand. Scientists must communicate their message to the public in a compassionate, understandable way—in human terms, not in the language of molecular biology. We need to make clear the connection between animal research and a grandmother’ s hip replacement, a father’ s bypass operation, a baby’ s vaccinations, and even a pet’ s shots. To those who are unaware that animal research was needed to produce these treatments, as well as new treatments and vaccines, animal research seems wasteful at best and cruel at worst. Much can be done. Scientists could “adopt“ middle school classes and present their own research. They should be quick to respond to letters to the editor, lest animal rights misinformation go unchallenged and acquire a deceptive appearance of truth. Research institutions could be opened to tours, to show that laboratory animals receive humane care. Finally, because the ultimate stakeholders are patients, the health research community should actively recruit to its cause not only well-known personalities such as Stephen Cooper, who has made courageous statements about the value of animal research, but all who receive medical treatment. If good people do nothing there is a real possibility that an uninformed citizenry will extinguish the precious embers of medical progress. [*]

You are trying to fill a bath with both taps on, but have accidentally left out the plug. Normally the hot water tap takes 8 minutes to fill the bath and the cold water tap takes 10 minutes. However, the water empties out through the plug hole in 5 minutes. How long will it take for the bath to fill?

Write an essay of no less than 160 words on the answer sheet in which you discuss the moral of the following poem and express your personal views on the subject. The Pride of Youth By Walt Scott Proud Maisie is in the wood, Walking so early; Sweet Robin sits on the bush, Singing so rarely. “tell me, thou bonny bird, when shall I marry me?“ “when six braw gentlemen kirkward shall carry ye.“ “ who makes the bridal bed, birdie, say truly?“ The gray-headed sexton That delves the grave duly. “ The glowworm o’ er grave and stone Shall light thee steady; The owl from the steeple sing, Welcome, proud lady.“

In this section， you will hear five short conversations. Each conversation will be read only once. At the end of each conversation， one question will be asked，and you have fifteen seconds to read the four choices marked A， B， C and D，and decide which is the best answer. Then mark the corresponding letter on the answer sheet with a single line through the centre. 1. M: You didn’t go to the concert last night either， did you? W: No， I had a slight headache. Question: What can we learn from this conversation? 2. M: What do you think of biology? W: It’s given me a hard time， though it is not as difficult as math. Question: What can we learn about the woman? 3. W: Can I see your hand luggage， please? M: I just have this bag and a laptop. W: Could you put them on the scales? I’m afraid the bag will have to go in the hold. Question: What will the man have to do with his bag? 4. M: Sorry， I’m late. Did you hear about the trains? W: Yes， I heard they were running late. M: Well， I realized I might be late， so I tried to find a bus and on my way I bumped into Jerry. He offered me a lift on his motorbike. But unfortunately， it was exhausted by flameout， so in the end， I had to walk. Question: Why is the man late? 5. W: How has the takeover affected the company? M: A plant in Manila and another in Dubai will be closed down. About 300 people are going to lose their jobs. But most of them will be offered jobs in other plants and quite a few want to take early retirement. W: So there are no compulsory redundancies? M: Very few. Question: How has the company been affected by the change? The speakers did not go to the concert. Both speakers went to the concert. The woman went to the concert, but the man didn’ t. The man went to the concert, but the woman didn’t.

Dictation Listen to the passage. For questions 21 ~ 25, fill in the blanks with the exact words or phrases you hear. Janet Jackson told the audience at the Black Entertainment Television Awards that the entire Jackson family had wanted to attend the show, but it was too painful. She said she had been elected to speak 【D1】______. “I’m going to keep it very short but I’d just like to say that to you Michael is an icon, to us Michael is family. And he will forever live in all of our hearts.“ The actor and singer Jamie Foxx led the 【D2】______, with an upbeat performance. He said there was no need to be sad and that the night was an opportunity to celebrate the singer’ s achievements. As he made his way down the red carpet, before the show, Michael Jackson’ s father, Joe, was asked about the 【D3】______into the circumstances surrounding his son’ s death. He said he had a lot of concerns and 【D4】______that a second post-mortem examination had taken place. He added that he’ d been touched by the outpouring of tributes 【D5】______his son.In this section， you will hear two short passages. The passages will be read only once. After each passage， there will be a one-minute pause. During the pause， write the answers on the answer sheet. Dictation Listen to the passage. For questions 21~25， fill in the blanks with the exact words or phrases you hear. Janet Jackson told the audience at the Black Entertainment Television Awards that the entire Jackson family had wanted to attend the show， but it was too painful. She said she had been elected to speak on their behalf. “I’m going to keep it very short but I’d just like to say that to you Michael is an icon， to us Michael is family. And he will forever live in all of our hearts.” The actor and singer Jamie Foxx led the celebrity tributes， with an upbeat performance. He said there was no need to be sad and that the night was an opportunity to celebrate the singer’s achievements. As he made his way down the red carpet， before the show， Michael Jackson’s father， Joe， was asked about the investigation into the circumstances surrounding his son’s death. He said he had a lot of concerns and confirmed that a second post-mortem examination had taken place. He added that he’d been touched by the outpouring of tributes dedicated to his son.

Summary Listen to the passage. For questions 26 ~30, complete the notes using no more than three words for each blank. 1. The best and brightest students from universities all over the country compete to show off their 【D6】______. 2. University Challenge has been broadcast for about 【D7】______years. 4. Gail Trimble is considered to have been “the greatest contestant ever“ and had earned 【D8】______her team’ s points. 5. The team from Corpus Christi was 【D9】______, because Sam Kay was no longer a student, who had graduated and started work as an accountant. 6. The 【D10】______highs and lows of Corpus Christi’ s game, seem certain to make them one of the most memorable teams not to have won University Challenge.Summary Listen to the passage. For questions 26~30， complete the notes using no more than three words for each blank. It’s one of Britain’s longest-running TV quiz shows， where the best and brightest from universities all over the country， compete to show off their knowledge on various topics. University Challenge first went to air nearly fifty years ago， and over the decades it’s been a showcase for students facing quick-fire questions on literature， physics， geography and philosophy， and everything in between. This year’s final was one of the most keenly watched with students from Corpus Christi College at Oxford University， taking on a team from Manchester University. All eyes were on Corpus Christi’s captain， Gail Trimble， who had been considered “the greatest contestant ever”， as she almost single-handedly won their place in the final， earning two-thirds of her team’s points. But in what turned out to be a tightly-fought match， other team members， including chemist Sam Kay， scored some vital points. Corpus Christi was victorious but the trophy wasn’t theirs for long. It emerged that by the time of the final Sam Kay was no longer a student; he had graduated and started work as an accountant， but hadn’t realized he couldn’t compete. On Monday the BBC announced the team was being disqualified， and the trophy handed to Manchester， who paid tribute to their opponents， saying they were sad to have won in such circumstances. But the dramatic highs and lows of Corpus Christi’s game， seem certain to make them one of the most memorable teams not to have won University Challenge.

That music is______. It’ s so noisy. It gives me a headache. wonderful terrific tensioned taped terrible

There______nothing more for discussion, the meeting came to an end half an hour earlier. to be being to have been be having

The______talks between China and the United States were the base of the later agreement. original primary origin primitive initial

Look! The______up at the lake______just breathtaking. sceneries ; are sceneries; were scenery; was scenery; is sceneries; is

—How about having lunch with me today, Paul? —______ I’ll see you then. Thanks a lot. Sounds great. I can come anytime. Glad to hear that.

—Do you feel like doing anything this weekend, Jerry? —______ No, I don’t mind doing anything. Yes, all right. What do you suggest? We could always go to Dave’ s party. How would you like science fiction movies? I feel like I’m ill.

Read the following passage and fill in each blank with one word. Choose the correct word in one of the following three ways-, according to the context, by using the correct form of the given word, or by using the given letter(s) of the word. Remember to write the answers on the answer sheet. [*] Charles Dickens was a famous nineteenth-century writer and the signature “ Charles Dickens“ is rarity enough to command a price. When I saw a cheque 【C1】______(sign) by him, which was neatly framed and sitting in the window of an antique shop, I was anxious to know just how much of a 【C2】p______. Like most things in antique shops it provided an immediate curiosity from being unpriced. Four, say five pounds at the 【C3】______, I thought, since the piece of paper 【C4】______no more than six or seven hand-written words and was not after all, some page of Oliver Twister. But how 【C5】p______that renowned native of Portsea, near Portsmouth, would have been to know that even an order for money written by him was fetching as high as fifteen pounds. The frame was ordinary enough, but the item itself, I was told by a quiet-spoken dealer, was 【C6】“______“ (price). However, he indicated, you couldn’t make a living with a shop full of priceless articles, in consequence of which he was asking a trifling fifteen pounds. When I explained I was interested only in the price he fell back on a device many dealers use today and suggested I buy it on hire purchase. When I reaffirmed my price-only interest he 【C7】______on my having a look at it. It was made 【C8】o______for six pounds. How it got on to the antique market the dealer didn’ t say. 【C9】In______, he told me again how much he would like me to have it—for 15 pounds, in easy installments. Fortunately, the arrival of a new 【C10】cu______ended this growing threat of weekly payments and also, provided me with a getaway.

What is the disadvantage of the Mojave plant compared with Solar Tres design?

What is the present cost for the Mojave plant?

What kinds of solar power plants are mainly mentioned in the passage?

Why couldn’ t we widely use solar power as flat-panel ones in cities?

Theoretically, what is the advantage of dish configuration compared with other solar concentrating plants?