Part A: Spot Dictation
My topic today is how to address the problem of hunger and starvation, which still exists in many parts of the world. To end hunger starts with people’s own productivity. A dangerous and patronizing cliche we often hear is: give a man a fish and feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for life. People living with chronic hunger have generations of wisdom about ’fishing’ — the problem is the barbed wire around the lake. The hunger project announced recently by the United Nations cut through the barbed wire, addressing the underlying social conditions that systematically deny hungry people the opportunity they need to end their own hunger. When we invest in a hunger project, we are investing in people’s productivity and giving people a chance to translate their hard work into improved well-being. We are ensuring that people get the opportunities which are rightfully theirs. Too often hungry people are isolated, marginalized and exploited. Mobilizing communities and building local organizations is critically important — both to sustain the work we do and to get more out of our precious resources and efforts. When people come together to work, a kind of social capital is created that can compensate for the lack of financial capital in rural areas. In Africa, a unique feature of the hunger project’s work is to organize villages to work cooperatively on community land to produce food for food banks. This fosters collective responsibility and action for a better future for all. Another example is in some Asian countries, such as India and Bangladesh, where hunger project volunteer animators have catalyzed the creation of over 1,100 local organizations throughout the country. With nearly 50% ran by women, these local groups create savings programs and invest in individual and collective income generating enterprises, including sowing, tailoring and weaving projects, bakeries and small businesses, fish and poultry farming, bee keeping and plant nurseries. The impact of these enterprises is enormous. As women have become economically empowered, the decision-making roles have increased. As family incomes have often tripled, parents are sending more children — both girls and boys — to school.
【解析】
本篇文章是關於如何解決世界上許多地方仍然存在的饑荒問題，形式屬於公共演講類文章，話題hunger and starvation不是很晦澀，考生應較容易理解。該文通過名人名言引入，表明結束饑荒要以提高人們自身的生產力爲源頭，介紹了hunger project，後面運用了兩個例子進行具體說明和闡述。文章難度屬於中等，介紹思路清晰，較易抓取關鍵信息。但文中有部分詞彙或發音，可能仍會對考生造成困擾：如cliché，barbed wire，marginalized，animators，catalyzed等。建議考生平時多關注與生活息息相關的公共演講類文章和常用名人名言。
Listening comprehension 1
W: Professor White, I hope I’m not interrupting, but you wanted to see me?
M: Oh, hello, Susan. Yes, yes. Come right in. Well, the reason I wanted to talk to you was that while you’re presenting your linguistics project in class the other day, I was thinking you’re a perfect candidate for the Deans Undergraduate Research Fund.
W: Emm... Professor, I am really not sure what that is.
M: Undergraduate Research Fundis... It is a mouth for…, I suppose... OK, here is the thing. Every year the school has a pool of money to fund a number of research projects of undergraduate students, because as you can imagine, in-depth research often requires monetary support.
W: I would like to expand on my research.
M: Good. First, a panel of professors reviews the applicants for the grant, and then they decide which project should be funded. A lot of money could be used for travel expenses to attend a conference for example, or things like supplies, research equipment, resources that are necessary to conduct the research.
W: I see.
M: Right. And I think you should apply for this grant. Your project is definitely eligible and you can expand it if you haven’t necessary resources. So does it sound like something you would be interested in?
W: Oh, yeah, sounds great! I thought the topic I work on was very interesting and it is certainly relevant to my linguistics major. I assume it we’ll also look good when I try to get into a graduate school, but how do I apply for the grant?
M: It is pretty straightforward. A brief description of your proposed project and an estimated budget —how much you need to spend and what you intend to spend it on. Also a glowing letter of recommendation from our linguistics professor wouldn’t hurt, which I’ve been more than happy to write up for you.
W: OK, cool! I’m pretty clear on how to carry out my project, but I’m not sure where I can find more information on the subject.
M: Well, I’ve already thought of that. There is this private library at university in Boston. By the way, because I graduated from that school, I can get you access to it, no problem. You see, the library houseslots of unpublished documents that are relevant to your topic.
W: So I can put that on the application for the grant that I plan on using material from that library for my research and figure a trip to Boston into my budget?
M: Exactly. I really think judging from your work in class and the relevance and clarity of this project, you really have a good chance of getting the funding.
W: OK, I’ll definitely apply then.
M: The sooner, the better. It is due in a few of weeks. And I’ll get that letter written up right away.
Q1: What is Susan most probably?
Q2: What is Susan talking about with Professor White?
Q3: Who will decide which project should be funded?
Q4: Which of the following cannot be covered by the research fund?
Q5: Apart from a brief description of the proposed project and a letter of recommendation, what else is needed for a plan for the grant?
【解析】
本對話選自校園日常生活，相對簡單。主要內容是教授與學生談論如何申請學校的.研究項目。文章一開篇談到教授爲什麼認爲學生是該研究項目最合適的人選，緊接着學生針對自己對該項目不清楚的一些地方進行了詢問。教授給出了詳盡的思路：包括申請材料準備、項目計劃、項目目標、預算等;他還指出自己能幫忙從他的母校獲取資料以及給學生寫推薦信。總體而言，在一問一答的對話中，抓聽時，注意聽問題的答案是關鍵!
