1. What do we know about the male speaker?
| A．He has been working overtime. |
| B．He was fired by the company. |
| C．He isn’t in need of extra money. |
| A．In the morning. | B．At noon. | C．In the evening. |
| A．Discuss a project. | B．Finish a report. | C．Attend a meeting. |
| A．A surgeon | B．A general doctor. | C．A dentist. |
4 . When you are choosing a major in the future, will you place a higher value on its future career or on its personal interest to you? Zhong Fangrong, a left-behind girl from Hunan province who scored 676 points in total on this year’s college entrance exam, preferred the latter as she applied to study archaeology (考古学) at Peking University.
However, there was a heated debate concerning whether she had made a wise decision. Some netizens argued that she wouldn’t have a promising future unless she chose a more popular major—for instance, finance, engineering, business, etc.—instead of archaeology. What’s more, considering the financial burden on her family, she had better think twice before making her final decision.
The girl later responded that she had been inspired to pursue archeology by Fan Jinshi, president of Dunhuang Academy, and that she had developed a passion for history and cultural relics (遗址). She also added that she cared little about fame and fortune.
Zhong has increased my confidence because of her attitude towards life. Firstly, she knows clearly what she is really interested in and is determined to devote herself to it. Secondly, Zhong has been able to stick to her pursuit despite the criticism from society.
Zhong’s pursuit reminds me of a lady who walks on a country road and lives in poetry—Li Ziqi. They both try their best to be who they want to be, which is rare and admirable nowadays.
Just ask yourself: Do you have the courage not to follow the pattern that the majority of people repeat? Actually, applying for an unpopular major may help you to avoid fierce competition. And the pursuit of a popular major is no guarantee for a brilliant future.
Following the example of Zhong, I will be more willing to follow my dreams in the years to come.
1. Some netizens opposed Zhong’s choice because they thought ______.| A．she preferred finance to archaeology |
| B．she wouldn’t have a promising future |
| C．she placed value on her future career |
| D．she cared much about fame and fortune |
| A．Her courage to take an adventure. |
| B．Her optimistic attitude towards life. |
| C．Her stubborn belief in popular majors. |
| D．Her love for history and cultural relics. |
| A．Li Ziqi’s living in poetry. |
| B．Netizens’ heated argument. |
| C．Fan Jinshi’s encouragement. |
| D．Zhong’s sticking to her pursuit. |
| A．You Can Be Who You Want To Be |
| B．Archaeology Is Becoming Popular |
| C．A Left-behind Girl Scored 676 Points |
| D．A Heated Debate Arose Among Netizens |
1. What are the speakers discussing?
| A．Developing new products. |
| B．Scheduling an interview. |
| C．Attending a meeting. |
| A．The man will go to Madrid. |
| B．The managers will meet together. |
| C．The company will hire new workers. |
1. What was the speaker most satisfied with in the forest?
| A．The meals. | B．The living place. | C．The weather. |
| A．Guiding tourist. |
| B．Clearing the path in the forest. |
| C．Collecting information for a map. |
| A．The birds’ singing. |
| B．The rabbits’ running around. |
| C．The wind’s blowing through the grass. |
| A．A tent. | B．Special boots. | C．The flight fare. |
7 . My whole career is about clothes – but I have no interest in fashion. What I love doing with clothes is using them to tell a story. That’s what costume design is all about. I wasn’t one of those little girls always dressing up dolls. My parents were musicians, so there was never any money, but our household was artistic.
As a child in the 1950s there was no TV, so we drew, painted and made things out of cardboard boxes. My parents encouraged me and my younger sister to be creative – making a mess was fine, and we were even allowed to draw on one of the walls at our home in Kensington, west London. After school I studied at Central Saint Martins School of Art, where I learned how to draw patterns and cut fabric. Back then it was set design, not costumes, that most interested me.
Thanks to a childhood friend, Nick Young, I was offered some unpaid work on early Merchant Ivory film productions. For a 1978 movie called Hullabaloo Over Georgie And Bonnie’s Pictures, I was asked to put together clothes for its star, Dame Peggy Ashcroft, to wear in India. After a meeting with her, Peggy took me aside. ‘My dear, we’re getting on quite well,’ she said. ‘They’ve given me a first-class ticket to India, now if I change it for two economy flights, will you come with me?’ Of course I said yes! No question.
It was before The Jewel In The Crown and A Passage To India, and Peggy had never been to India. At 70, she was a little nervous, but great fun. We shared a room and I looked after her in every possible way. At night we sat up in our little beds, having a brandy or whisky and discussing our day. After the shoot we went on holiday to Goa together. Peggy rode around on the back of my motorbike!
I became part of the Merchant Ivory team and went on to work on many other period films, including 1996’s Sense And Sensibility. I’ve known Emma Thompson for 30 years and she’s hilarious and wonderful.
I had won an Oscar before, in 1987 for A Room With A View, and have been nominated a further eight times. I keep my Oscars on a desk that belonged to my mother in my study, so they are very much on display but off the beaten track. Not in the living room and certainly not in the downstairs loo!
For a career I somehow fell into, it’s provided me with a wonderful life, really.
1. Why did Peggy and the author make friends with each other?| A．They were of the same age. | B．They worked in the same theater. |
| C．They were both good actors. | D．They got along very well. |
| A．The Jewel In The Crown. |
| B．A Room With A View. |
| C．Hullabaloo Over Georgie And Bonnie’s Pictures. |
| D．A Passage To India. |
| A．To show she was not talented in designing clothes. |
| B．To amuse the readers with a funny story. |
| C．To show her parents inspired her creativity. |
| D．To share a precious memory in her childhood. |
| A．Ambitious | B．Dedicated |
| C．Caring | D．Demanding |
