SECTION B INTERVIEW
Directions: In this section you will hear everything ONCE ONLY. Listen carefully and then answer the questions that follow. Questions 1 to 5 are based on an interview. At the end of the interview you will be given 10 seconds to answer each of the following five questions.
Now listen to the interview.
听力原文:Chairperson: Good evening ladles and gentlemen. It's nice to see so many of you here. Well, I'd like to introduce our two guests this evening: Mr. Andrew Frobisher, who has spent many years in Malaysia in the 1950s and 60s and knows the country very well indeed. And, on my right, Mr. Harry Benson who's an agricultural economist.
Benson: Good evening.
Frobisher: Good evening.
Chairperson: Well, erm ... the purpose of this evening is to find out more about that fascinating substance, rubber, and the effects that it has on that fascinating country, Malaysia, Erm erm ... I believe erm ... er Mr. Frohisher, erm ... that Malaysia is at the same time an extremely rich and rather poor country. Erm ... how is this possible?
Frobisher: Yes, well, that's quite true, Monica. Malaysia's population is by now over 13 million, and er per head o... on paper the citizens are richer than those of the UK. But...
Benson: But of course that wealth is not so evenly distributed. In fact in 1981, it was estimated that 37% of the population were below the poverty line...
Frobisher: Yeah, well ... whatever that means ... and anyway shouldn't it be, er, was below the poverty line.
Benson: Yes, of course. Sorry, Andrew.
Frobisher: Yes, well, erm ... as I was saying, much of Malaysia’s wealth is based on rubber. Now I remember my planting days...
Benson: Yes, yes, yes, you’re quite right there Andrew. Rubber represents about 20% of the Gross National Product and 30% of export earnings. This puts Malaysia in a very good position internationally since rubber is an example of what we might call a "post-industrial industry".
Frobisher: Well, what do you mean by that?
Benson: Er ... excuse me ... yes, what does that mean?
Frobisher: What is a pest-industrial erm ... society?
Benson: Manufacturing industries are based on fossil fuels, for example, coal and oil. Now, the problem is that these will not last forever. They are finite. Sooner or later they will run out! Now, rubber is a natural product. The energy source involved in its creation is sunlight. Now sunlight, we hope, will outlast coal and oil, and best of all, sunlight is free. So, it is much cheaper to produce natural rubber which as we all know comes from trees, than to use up all those fossil fuels, both as fuels and as raw materials, in making synthetic rubber in factories. Rubber is one of the world’s strategic products, so you can see what a good position Malaysia is in, and it would help if she could produce more...
Chairperson: Er ... well, what stands in the way then?
Frobisher: Ah, well, well it's the way they go about cultivating it. You see, I remember in my day just after...
Benson: Yes, most people have this image of vast estates, centrally run, but that’s just not the case, even if almost a quarter of the population is involved, one way or another, with the production of rubber ...
Frobisher: Yeah well, that's if you count the families...
Benson: Oh, yes, yes, yes, almost 3 million people are involved, but the picture is a very fragmented one. Do you realize that there are 2 million hectares of land under cultivation for rubber in Malaysia, but that 70% of this area is divided among smallholders-half a million of them-who between them produce 60% of the country' s rubber?
Frobisher: Well, there's nothing wrong with that i ... in terms of quality of life, though I remember, yes, quite right ... just after the war there was...
Benson: Yes, quite right. But being a smallholder does present problems. For example, when it comes to replacing old trees-you'll know about this, Andrew-and the avera
A. the development of the rubber industry in Malaysia
B. the impact of rubber industry on Malaysia
C. the uneven distribution of wealth in Malaysia
D. the current situation in Malaysia
听力原文: The French President Jacques Chirac is to discuss the efforts to stimulate the Japanese economy during a visit to Japan which begins today. The French President is no stranger to Japan. He's visited the country forty times before and this will be his second visit as president. Mr. Chirac will hold summit talks with the Japanese Prime Minister next Monday. He's expected to discuss efforts to boost the Japanese economy as well as investments by Japanese companies in France. He'll also meet the Emperor and the Empress at Longshong Tuesday. But perhaps the event that will draw most attention is the launch of a year-long festival of French arts and culture in Japan. A replica of the Arch de Triomphe that usually stands in Paris has been transported to Tokyo Bay for the festival and Mr. Chirac will unveil it. The festival includes films, theatrical performances, dance and exhibitions as well as promotions for French food and wine, both of which are very popular in Japan.
The French President's visit to Japan aims at
A. making more investment in Japan.
B. stimulating Japanese businesses in France.
C. helping boost the Japanese economy.
D. launching a film festival in Japan.
听力原文: Officials of the World Food Program, WFP, said they are receiving information that famine has gripped parts of Central Afghanistan. WFP officials say as the winter snow begins to melt and high mountain paths begin to clear, local leaders and international aid workers are reporting some people are dying of starvation. Officials say a major disaster affecting hundreds of thousands of people may be in the making. The Taliban are blocking food deliveries to central Afghanistan. The UN has warned for several months that more than 1 million people are suffering from the blockade and 160,000 face starvation. An emergency air-lift of food to central provinces was cancelled earlier this year when the Taliban bombed the local airport. WFP officials say existing food stocks in that area are exhausted and an emergency effort will be launched to bring wheat and potatoes into the area.
Afghan people are suffering from starvation because
A. melting snow begins to block the mountain paths.
B. the Taliban have destroyed existing food stocks.
C. the Taliban are hindering food deliveries.
D. an emergency air-lift of food was cancelled.