上半场Q 1-5听力文本
M: Do you know the names the American Flag was once called?
W: Didn’t some people use to call it “The Star Spangled Banner” like our national anthem?
M: You’re right!
W: I’ve heard it refer to as “Old Glory”.
M: Also Correct! The most popular name is “The Stars and Stripes” based on its design. At the started of the Revolutionary War in 1775, the American Flag had British Flag in the upper left corner. But after the Decoration of Independence in 1777, the British Flag was no longer appropriate as part of the American Flag. On June 4th, 1777, the Continental Congress resolved that the Flag of the United States be 13 stripes, alternating red and white, the 13 white stars in the blue field. But there was no official arrangement for the stars.
W: Is that the flag Betsy Ross made?
M: In 1890, William Canby claimed that his grandmother Betsy Rose, a Philadelphia seamstress, had made the first United States’ Flag. Although she made the Flag during the Revolutionary War, most historians, myself included, do not support this claim.
W: I have a question: Why did the 1775 Flag incorporate the British Flag if the colonists were already fighting for independence?
M: Actually, the colonists did not at first seek for independence. So the Union Jack, another name for the British Flag, remained in American Flag because there was still a connection to England. By 1794, two new states joined the union. Congress decided to add two stars and two stripes to the Flag. It ordered a 15-stripe flag used after May 1st, 1795.
W: But doesn’t our flag today have only 13 stripes?
M: Exactly! As more states came into the Union, Congress realized that new star and new stripe for each state will make the flag too crowded. Samuel Chester Reid, a navy captain, proposed the flag of 13 stripes, one for each of the regional colonies, and star for each state. Congress accepted the idea. On April 4th, 1818, it set the number of stripes at 13 again. It ordered a new star to be added to the flag on the July 4th, after a state joined the union.
Q1: There have been several names the American Flag was once called. Which of the following is not one of these names?
Q2: What is the most popular name of the American Flag according to the man?
Q3: How many stripes and stars were there on the American Flag when the flag was first made?
Q4: Who proposed the stripe for each of the regional colonies and star for each state?
Q5: Which of the following statement is true according to the conversation?
上半场Q 6-10听力文本
Question 6-10 are based on the following news
Washington USA
in recent years, food shortage has led to prince rises and unrest in many import dependent countries including many in Africa. In the 2009 G8 summit in Italy, major industrial countries promise more than 20 billion dollars over three years to improve food access to Africans and others hit by high prices. This latest G8 summit which began later on Friday is due to discuss the issue. However, its main focus would be continuing concerns that the Euro Zone debt crisis could trigger a global slump. On Thursday, confidence in European banks was undermined by rating’s agency Moodys which cut the credit rating of 16th Spanish banks. Mr. Obamma has urged European leaders to do more to stimulate growth, fearing the Euro crisis could spread to the US.
Jerusalem Israel
The US has plans in place to attack Iran if other measures fail to stop it developing nuclear weapons, Washington’s envoy to Israel says . He said the US hope to promacy the sanction would persuade Iran to alternate nuclear program. But the military option was ready. US president Obamma has previously said military action has not been ruled out. The US and its outliers say Iran is developing a nuclear bomb and accusation Teheran desires. Talks between Iran and 6 rue powers are due to resumed in Baghdad on January 23rd. Both Israel and the US have said that they consider military force a last resort to stop Iran to use its Iranian enrichment program to make a weapon.
Helsinki Finland
Nokia Company is tearing through its cash reserves and an unsustainable rate. Raising what some analysts say are serious questions about struggling finishing phone makers’ ability to stabilize its finance in a month ahead. The company could even be at risk of default if it fail to slow the burning of its cash. Over the past five quarters, the one-time dialing of mobile telecoms has eroded its cash pile by 2.1 billion Euros, arraying that it would wipe out its entire 4.9 billion Euros reserves in a couple of years. Analysis on average expect the company could burn through almost 2 billion Euros more in just three quarters. While the most bearish said that the company has wiped out its 4.9 billion Euros net cash buffer completely next year.
Brasilia Brazil
Electricity prices are the biggest component of the so-called Brazil cost. The mix of the taxes, high interest rates, labor costs, infrastructure bottlenecks and other issues that has caused the economy to become less competitive. After a decade of strong performance, Brazil is grouped bellow the Latin American average in 2011 and so far this year. Brazil’s average electricity cost of 180 dollars per magawatt-hour is acceded only by Italy and Slovakia, according to a 2011 study based on data from International Energy Agency. High electricity rates have contributed to stagnant investment and production in energy intensive industries. Electricity accounts for 35 percent and in same proportion of the car industries production costs.
Beirut Syria
At least 21 people were killed on Tuesday in an attack in northern Syria. And members of a team of UN monitors caught in the incident said they were in rebel hands for their own protection. When rudders ask one of the four monitors by phone if there will be in help prisoners, he said we are save with the rebels. A spokesman for the rebel military council said the rebels would work on the save accitte for the monitors. An internal UN document obtain by roters said that there is a total of six monitors were under rebel protection in a friendly environment. The internal UN document confirm the UN team in Syria will conduct a patrol to pick the mention that UN military observers on Wednesday.
Question 6
What would be the main focus of the latest G8 summit due Friday?
Question7
What does the UN envoys to Israel say about the issue of Iran’s nuclear’s program?
Question8
How much is Nokia company total cash reserves in Euros?
Question9
The so-called Brazil cost has made the economy less competitive. Which of the following are the biggest component of the brazil cost?
Question10
According to an internal UN document, how many UN monitors were in the hands of the Syrian rebels?
