1 Permafrost occurs in areas where the mean annual temperature is at or below minus nine degrees Celsius. In Canada, where over fifty percent of the land area is permanently frozen, the depth of the permafrost ranges from two meters at the southern edge to as many as 300 meters in the far north. Almost all of the soil moisture occurs in the form of ground ice, which creates a challenge for the plants and animals that must survive in the North. 2 Temperature changes take a long time to penetrate the ground, and deep layers that froze during the last Ice Age remain insulated from current surface conditions. A thin surface layer may thaw if air temperatures rise above freezing in the summer. However, a brief thaw promotes the growth of sparse vegetation, which acts as an insulating layer for the lower levels, keeping them frozen.

What is the discussion mainly about?Questions 1 through 6. Listen to part of a discussion in a business class. M1: The business meeting, which is part of an average business day, is the logical way to share information and get things done. As a manager, you will call meetings for a lot of reasons. Your company has to make policy, for example, so you might call in a group of people that will help you develop policy. Or you might call a meeting to gather information you need to solve a problem that’s come up. It’s up to the person who calls the meeting to make sure the discussion is successful. That person, who will probably lead the meeting, should let all participants know the purpose and agenda well in advance. So, what are some factors that go into planning a meeting? M2: One factor is the length of the meeting, which determines whether you need to have coffee and snacks. W: You also need to know how many people are coming, which tells you how many handouts you need. M1: Uh-huh. What else? M2: You have to plan your facilities, like the room where you’re having the meeting, and the equipment you need, like videos and slides, or a projector and screen. W: You need a room that fits the size of your group, and enough chairs for everyone. M1: Right. Room size, audiovisual equipment, handouts, coffee—those are all things you need to consider. The skilled leader will check on all of them in advance, but, of course, this doesn’t mean he or she shouldn’t get help with the details. OK. So, that’s what happens before the meeting. Now think about what happens during the meeting. A typical business meeting—one dealing with policy or problems—follows a pattern that goes like this. First, the leader makes a brief preliminary statement calling attention to the issue. Next, the participants discuss the issue—its scope, causes, and effects. They contribute relevant information, facts, and opinions. After that, what should happen? W: Well, isn’t it important to agree on a solution? I mean, if that was the purpose of the meeting. M1: Absolutely. The participants should discuss possible solutions and decide on the one that’s best. Then what? W: They need a plan that puts the solution into action, for example, the next steps they should take. M1: Yes, absolutely. If the meeting is successful, it should achieve a result. Of course, maybe the result is the need for another meeting, in which case it’s the leader’s job to determine the time and place for that. 1. What is the discussion mainly about? 2. What point does the professor make about the person who calls a meeting? 3. According to the discussion, what are some factors that should be considered in planning a meeting? 4. What does the professor mean by this statement: “The skilled leader will check on all of them in advance, but, of course, this doesn’t mean he or she shouldn’t get help with the details.“ 5. Why does the professor say this: “A typical business meeting—one dealing with policy or problems—follows a pattern that goes like this.“ 6. The class talks about what usually happens during a business meeting. Put the events in the order in which they occur. The schedule of an average business day Factors that make meetings successful Different ways to develop policy People who participate in meetings

The Gulf Stream, Awhat is located just off the Atlantic Coast, Bbrings a temperate Cclimate to the coastlines Dit passes.

Tourists Atraveled abroad should carry a debit card Bas well as a credit card because automatic teller machines Care available in airports and Dother locations.

The vacuum coffee maker is a Acomplicated device in Bwhere steam is Cgenerated in a glass bowl Dconnected to a container of coffee grounds and hot water.

Chinooks are warm winds______off the mountains and across the plains in winter. that come come from they come are coming

When we breathe, oxygen is passed to special molecules in the blood,______it to the muscles. is carried carried which carry will carry

Genes are the biological instructions______ in every cell. are found found find finding

A lot of unemployment is the simple turnover of people either______for the first time or reentering it. enter the labor force entered the labor force are entering the labor force entering the labor force

1 Permafrost occurs in areas where the mean annual temperature is at or below minus nine degrees Celsius. In Canada, where over fifty percent of the land area is permanently frozen, the depth of the permafrost ranges from two meters at the southern edge to as many as 300 meters in the far north. Almost all of the soil moisture occurs in the form of ground ice, which creates a challenge for the plants and animals that must survive in the North. 2 Temperature changes take a long time to penetrate the ground, and deep layers that froze during the last Ice Age remain insulated from current surface conditions. A thin surface layer may thaw if air temperatures rise above freezing in the summer. However, a brief thaw promotes the growth of sparse vegetation, which acts as an insulating layer for the lower levels, keeping them frozen.

TOEFL iBT Speaking. In this integrated speaking task, you will listen to part of a lecture. You will then be asked to summarize important information from the lecture. Cover the question while the lecture is playing. You may take notes, and you may use your notes to help you answer the question. After you hear the question, you may look at the question and prepare your response. You have 20 seconds to prepare your response and 60 seconds to speak. Using points and examples from the talk, describe qualitative research, explaining some of the methods that researchers use. Stop Preparation Time - 20 seconds Response Time - 60 secondsListen to part of a talk given to university students who are majoring in the social sciences. Researchers who want a complete picture of an organization use several methods that all come under the label “qualitative research.“ The goal of qualitative research is to document the processes as well as the products of an organization. The key tools of qualitative research are observation and interviewing. Interviewing people is an important way for researchers to check the accuracy of the impressions they gain through observation. For example, an organization that might be investigated is a large, inner-city high school. The researcher would aim to portray the everyday experiences of the people who study and work at the school. The researcher would visit the school regularly over a long period of time. He would observe classrooms and try to describe everything that happens there. He would interview teachers, students, administrators, and support staff. The researcher might observe the learning experiences of the students and the social atmosphere of the school. He might observe the manner in which students and teachers react to others of different ethnic groups. In qualitative research, the data collected is in the form of words and pictures rather than numbers. It includes detailed descriptions written by the researcher. In our example, it might include samples of student work and video recordings of classrooms and student-teacher conferences. There might be flowcharts illustrating the direction of comments made during class discussions. All of these would help the researcher to “paint a portrait“ of the school. Using points and examples from the talk, describe qualitative research, explaining some of the methods that researchers use.

Hosta is the name Agiven to a genus of Bflowering plants, all of Cwhose thrive in the Dshade.

AAlthough he is not the scientist Bwho invents the new process, the innovator is the one Cwhich successfully Dintroduces it to the public.

Lipids, one of the Aprincipal components of Bliving cells, have a Cspecialize role as the main Dstructural component of membranes.

Sam Cooke’s Aappealing image and clear vocals, Bthat were widely imitated, Cinfluenced the style of singing Dthat dominated the next two decades.

Tarragon has long been cultivated for its leaves, ______for flavoring vinegar, sauces, and soups. that are used been used which are used they are used

The principles of Dada,______to New York by Max Ernst and Marcel Duchamp, eventually became the basis of Surrealism. carried were carried they were carried carried them

The fat-soluble vitamins are stored in body fat and may therefore accumulate in quantities______. can be toxic they can be toxic can they be toxic that can be toxic

The first Europeans to visit southwestern Colorado were the Spanish, who sought gold, animal skins, and other riches. Under orders from the Spanish governor in Santa Fe, Juan Maria Antonio Rivera led a prospecting and trading party into the region in 1765. Rivera found little of commercial value that would interest his superiors, but he did open up a route that soon led to the establishment of the Old Spanish Trail. This expedition and others that followed left an abundance of Spanish place names, which are the only evidence we have today that the Spanish once explored the region.

The Tarascans, Athey were traditionally B known for their hummingbird-feather mosaics, are still noted for their Clacquered bowls and Dwoven cloth.

One of the best Aknown and lavishly Bpraising architectural projects of the twentieth century was Habitat, the experimental Chousing complex Dcreated for Montreal’s Expo 67.

The term permafrost in paragraph 1 is used to describe

It can be inferred from the passage that a large area of Canada has

According to the passage, what challenge faces plants and animals in the North?

Why do the deep layers of ground remain frozen even when temperatures rise above freezing?