SECTION 4：LITENING TEST
Part A: Note-taking and Gap-filling
Directions: In this part of the test, you will hear a short talk, you may take notes on the important points so that you can have enough information to complete a gap-filling task on a separate answer booklet. You are required to write ONE word or figure only in each blank. You will not get your answer booklet until after you have listened to the talk. Now listen to the talk carefully.
Today I want to discuss problems of urbanization and in particular I want to talk about those problems which are peculiar to developing economies and to discuss three possible policies which could be used to control or to stem uncontrolled urbanization in developing countries.
Certain urban problems of course are common to both developed and developing countries, for example, problems of poor housing, unemployment and those problems connected with traffic, for example, congestion, pollution and so on. However there are problems which are very peculiar to developing economies and this is due to the fact the developing countries need to create a basic infrastructure which is necessary for industrialization and consequently for economic growth. In fact it is the provision of this infrastructure which constitutes the urbanization process itself and this infrastructure or the provision of this infrastructure may have undesired effects on the economy as a whole. Now it's these consequences on these effects which um I'd like to deal with next.
I'm going to talk about five main consequences of this uncontrolled urbanization.
In the first instance there's the problem of the migration of people from the country to the city. Of course people living in the country see the city as a more desirable place to live, whether they are living in developing or developed countries. But the problem is much more serious in a developing country because there are in fact often more people who wish to migrate to the city. Now the fact of people migrating to the city causes a certain depopulation of rural areas. This is a second consequence if you like, and the result of this is a decrease in the production of food and in the supply of food to the country as a whole. This can in turn also lead to a rise in prices because of the law of supply and demand.
As a result of people moving to the city you get a high urban population growth rate. Now this is due not only to the fact of more adults moving to the city but can also be due to traditions of these people from the country because often people from rural areas have a tradition of large families and so on and so the population of the cities increases with these numerous children of the large families.
This leads to a fourth consequence which is a dramatic pressure on the supply of social services in urban areas, in particular services related to health and education. In relation a health services we can see that there are endemic diseases which could be made worse by overcrowding people coming from the country to the city, and in the stresses on services in education, with more children there's need for more schools schools and more teachers and so on.
A fifth area which is affected by uncontrolled urbanization is that of the labour supply, and often uncontrolled urbanization leads to an excess of labour supply in the cities. This can lead to, in turn, an informal kind of labour activities of, if you like, what might be called lowproductivity activities. For example people selling things in the streets or you often find for instance in large urban areas in developing countries children watching cars and so on and asking for tips from their owners when they come back. This is really a sort of undesirable type of labour.
So those are in fact the main consequences of uncontrolled urbanization. Now I'd like to talk more on the three possible policies which could be developed to stem this kind of uncontrolled urbanization in developing countries.
The first one would be to promote a more equal land distribution. In this way farmers would be more motivated to stay on the land. They would be able to work more land, and thus be able to feed their families more adequately. Often the reasons why farmers wish to go to the city is that they cannot grow enough food to both feed their families and earn a living. So a more equal land distribution is one such policy to stem this kind of move to the city.
A second policy would be to improve the supply of social services in the rural areas particularly in the field of health and education. Country people often move to the co\ity because they feel that these services are better in the city areas and if they could compare the services and feel that there was perhaps not much difference between the two, it would be another reson for not moving.
A third possible policy would be to give financial assistance to agriculture especially to the small landowners.
Part B: Listening and Translation
Ⅰ. Sentence Translation
Directions: In this part or test, you will hear 5 English sentences. You will hear the sentences only once. After you have heard each sentence, translate it into Chinese and write your version in the corresponding space in your ANSWER BOOKLET.
Sentence No.1. The main part of New York city is an island and you have to approach it either by tunnel or bridge.
Sentence No.2. Parking in downtown areas is so dreadfully expensive, so most people think twice about bringing their cars into the city.
Sentence No.3. I'm a sales representative from our head office in London and I'd like to discuss the sales contract in detail with you.
Sentence No.4. China is the third largest country in the world, next only to Russia and Canada, with an uninterrupted history going back over four thousand years.
Sentence No.5. As a result of these new measures taken by the government, this country's tourist industry has seen an average 10 percent annual growth rate over the past five years.
Ⅱ. Passage Translation
Direction: In this part of the test, you will hear two English passages. You will hear the passages only once. After you have heard each passage, translate it into Chinese and write your version in the corresponding space in your answer booklet. You may take notes while you are listening. Now let's begin Passage Translation with the first passage.
Passage 1:
The idea of permanent education is practical because we re never really too old to go on learning. Of course, there are certain limits, but they aren't age limits. For example, let's say a man past sixty tries to learn how to play football. It's foolish for him to do that, but only because his body is too old, not his mind!
Passage 2:
These days, it's difficult to know where to invest. It's all very confusing with changing interest rates, bank charges and different types ofinvestment account. So isn't it nice to know that at the Northern Bank there is friendly, professional help available to make sure you make the right decisions about how to handle your money? We can also advise you on a whole range of matters such as insurance, mortgages and pensions. Pop into your Northern Bank branch. We'll be pleased to see you!
