上海中级口译历年真题

2007年3月中级口译真题

SECTION1:LISTENINGTEST

PartA:SpotDictation

Direction:Inthispartofthetest,youwillhearapassageandreadthesamepassagewithblanksinit.Fillineachoftheblankswiththe

wordsyouhaveheardonthetape.WriteyouranswerinthecorrespondingspaceinyourANSWERBOOKLET.Rememberyouwillhearthe

passageONLYONCE.

Everyhumanbeingisfallible;wemakemistakes.InAmericawhenamistakehasbeenmade,itisconsideredfittingfortheperson

(1)toacknowledgehisorhererrorandtoapologizetoanyonewhohasbeeninconvenienced.Even(2)areexpectedtoadmittheir

mistakesandapologizeforthem.Tryingto(3)amistakeanddenyingyourguiltareconsideredtobeindicativeofserious

(4).

Ifyoumakeamistakethat(5)agroupofpeople,apublicapologyisconsideredthebestmethodfor(6).Ifthemistake

wasaseriousone,orifsomepeoplewereinconveniencedmorethanothers,thentheshouldfollowthepublicapologywith

privateonesto(8).

Itisespeciallyimportantforexecutivesandcompanyheadstobeabletoadmittheirmistakes.Sometimesleadersareafraidthatifthey

(9),theywilllosetherespectoftheiremployees.Actually(10)-ifyouarehonestwithyouremployeesandyourself,

(11),andshowthatyouarewillingtoacceptblamewhenyoumakeamistake,thenyouremployeeswillbe(12)you.

Theywillalsobemorelikelytoadmittheirownmistakes.

Ifyou(13)oneperson,itisusuallybesttoapologizetothatpersonalone,unlessyourmistake(14)byalargegroupof

people.Forexample,ifLeonard(15)toMr.Toddduringacommitteemeeting,itwouldbe(16)forLeonardtoapologize

toMr.Toddatthenextcommitteemeeting.Ifthe(17)createdbytheinitialmistakeispublic,thentheapologyshouldbepublic.

However,ifLeonardraisedhisvoicetoMr.Toddwhenonlythetwoofthem(18),hemayapologizeprivately.Noticeaswell

(19)theapologiesare.Assoonasyourealizeyouhavemadeamistake,youshould(20).

PartB:ListeningComprehension

1.Statements

Directions:Inthispartofthetest,youwillhearseveralshortstatements.ThesestatementswillbespokenONLYONCE,andyouwillnotfind

themwrittenonthepaper;soyoumustlistencarefully.Whenyouhearastatement,readtheanswerchoicesanddecidewhichoneis

closestinmeaningtothestatementyouhaveheard.Thenwritetheletteroftheansweryouhavechoseninthecorrespondingspaceinyour

ANSWERBOOKLET.

1.(A)Ihavefinishedmylunch.

(B)Ican'twaittomakethephonecall.

(C)Ihavetostayintheoffice.

(D)Idon'tliketoeatinthecafeteria.

2.(A)someonefromthehousingofficewillfixthetoilet.

(B)Peterwillphonethehousingofficeforyou.

(C)Youcanfixthetoiletinthebathroombyyourself.

(D)Peterwillrepairthetoiletinthebathroom.

3.(A)Individualsgoodatconversationsmayfindithardtomaketheirfirstspeechbeforealargeaudience.

(B)Studentstrainedfortheirfirstpublicspeechesshouldbegivenlessonsinaconversationalsetting.

(C)Thefutureofthosepeopleafraidofgivingapublicspeechliesinthetrainingofmakingwonderfulconversations.

(D)Mostindividualsprefertomakeapublicspeechinaconversationalsettingwithanattentiveaudience.

4.(A)thetreesarebeingcutdown.

(B)Thetreesareblockingmyview.

(C)Thetreesgrowbetteraroundtheoffice.

(D)Thetreeshelpcoolmyoffice.

5.(A)everyonewantstoattendtothisschool,asitisaprivateinstitution.

(B)Itisimpossibleforyoutokeeptoyourowninthisboardingschool.

(C)Weallgetalongverywellinthisboardingschool,asifofclosefriends.

(D)Itisnotimportanttostepintootherpeople'saffairshereatthisschool.

6.(A)ThirtypercentoftheGermanpopulationcanreceivecollegeeducation.

(B)Americanstudentsenjoyaveryhighrateofadmissiontocollegeintheworld.

(C)Comparativelyspeaking,therearemoreBritishpeoplethantheFrenchattendingcollege.

(D)Americancollegestudentsareenviedby60%ofhighschoolgraduatesaroundtheworld.

7.(A)Weshouldadopta4-yeartermforthedirectorsandchairman.

(B)Thetermofthedirectorsandchairmanwillbedecidedinfouryears.

(C)Thetermofthedirectorsandchairmanturnsouttobe2years.

(D)it'sreasonabletomakepoliciesofcontinuityandstabilityforthecompany.

8.(A)Nogovernmentortheorycanalonecopewiththecomplexitiesoftheglobaleconomy.

(B)Nogovernmentcanunderstandthetheoryoftheglobaleconomybecauseofitscomplexities.

(C)WorldWarIIhasmadetheglobaleconomymorecomplextobeexplainedintermsoftraditionaleconomictheories.

(D)Ourgovernmentmustframeanewtheorysoastocontrolthedevelopmentoftheglobaleconomy.

9.(A)ChildrenshouldberesponsibleformostofthefiredeathsinAmerica.

(B)Adultsloadthehouseswithtoomuchstuff,whichiseasytocatchfire.

(C)Nineteenpercentofthefiresareattributedtochildrenplayingwithmatches.

(D)Adultsshouldexercisemoreandstricterprecautionsagainstfires.

10.(A)Ifyouarehungry,you'dbettergotothenearestsupermarket.

(B)FewAmericanconsumerswouldchoosetogoshoppinginWal-Mart.

(C)In2006,shoppingovertheInternetroseby28percent.

(D)In2005,about$14billionofgoodswereboughtovertheInternet.

2.TalksandConversations

Directions:Inthispartofthetest,youwillhearseveralshorttalksandconversations.Aftereachofthese,youwillhearafewquestions.

ListencarefullybecauseyouwillhearthetalkorconversationandquestionsONLYONCE.Whenyouhearaquestionreadthefouranswer

choicesandchoosethebestanswertothatquestion.Thenwritetheletteroftheansweryouhavechoseninthecorrespondingspacein

yourANSWERBOOKLET.

Questions11-14

11.(A)atastationerycounter.

(B)Atareceptiondeskofahotel.

(C)Intheimmigrationofficeofanairport.

(D)Inthevisaofficeofanembassy.

12.(A)Hehaslosthisownpen.

(B)Hewantstogetintoconversationwithher.

(C)Hecannotfindonenearby.

(D)HehaslefthispeninRoom803.

13.(A)Monday.(B)Tuesday.

(C)Wednesday.(D)Thursday.

14.(A)Heaskstheportertocarryhissuitcasetohisroom.

(B)Hewantsamorningcallat7o'clockthenextday.

(C)Hethinksthewomanatthereceptionisveryhelpful.

(D)Heputsthewoman'speninhispocketbymistake.

Questions15-18

15.(A)Weshouldnottakeourabilitytolistenforgranted.

(B)Weshouldhavetherightlisteningstyleforaparticularsituation.

(C)Weshouldtrydifferentlisteningstylesoneafteranother.

(D)Weshouldbefaithfultoonelisteningstyleallthetime.

16.(A)Two.(B)Three.

(C)Four.(D)Five.

17.(A)whenweareattendinganEnglishlanguagecourse.

(B)WhenwearewatchinganinterestingTVprogram.

(C)Whenweareenjoyingthemurmuringofabrook.

(D)Whenwearelisteningforafriend'svoiceinacrowd.

18.(A)whenwearetouringaroundanoperahouse.

(B)WhenwearewatchingaTVseries.

(C)Whenweareappreciatingbackgroundmusicinarestaurant.

(D)Whenweareattendingalectureatcollege.

Questions19-22

19.(A)Theyaredominating.

(B)Theyarenotrespectable.

(C)Thearepersuasive.

(D)Theyareveryhelpful.

20.(A)becauseshetakesupapart-timejob.

(B)Becausesheworkswiththegovernment.

(C)Becauseshehasagovernmentgrants.

(D)Becauseshestayswithherfriend.

21.(A)Heissometimesnotongoodtermswithhisparents.

(B)Hewantstohavecontroloverhisparents.

(C)Heandhisparentsarenotfondofeachother.

(D)Heandhisparentshavedifferentviewsaboutfamilylife.

22.(A)aftersavingupenoughmoney.

(B)Throughalotofpersuasion.

(C)Byhisoutstandingperformanceatschool.

(D)Withthesympathyandinterferencefromhisparents.

Questions23-26

23.(A)youshouldbeabsentfromworkfor2weeksbeforeyouhandinyourresignation.

(B)Youshouldsubmityourresignationatleast2weeksbeforeyouleave.

(C)Youshouldavoidhavinganexitinterviewwithyourimmediatesupervisor.

(D)Youshouldfirstsettleallyourpersonnelitemswiththepersonnelmanager.

24.(A)Medicalinsuranceandretirementfunds.

(B)Unpaidovertimecompensationsandunsettleddebts.

(C)Replacementforyourpostandaraiseofyoursalary.

(D)Fringebenefitsandfamilyallowance.

25.(A)tohelpyoureconsideryourdecisiontoresign.

(B)Toallowmoretimefortheauthority'sapproval.

(C)Tokeeptheschoolworkfrombeingseriouslyaffected.

(D)Tomakeiteasierforthestudentstoacceptanewteacher.

26.(A)whenyoujusthavearaiseinsalary.

(B)Whenyouhavefoundabetterjob.

(C)Whenyouaretheonlyonetoleave.

(D)Whenyouareaskedtoresign.

Questions27-30

27.(A)Itisverymild.

(B)Itiswarm.

(C)Itissnowy.

(D)Itisovercast.

28.(A)Sheiscreativeandpractical.

(B)Sheisdiligentandefficient.

(C)Sheisprofessionalandcompetitive.

(D)Sheisdeterminedandexperienced.

29.(A)Secretary.

(B)CEO.

(C)Teacher.

(D)ChiefConsultant.

30.(A)becauseshelikesthecity'smildclimatethatisbeneficialtoherhealth.

(B)Becauseshelovestoworkwithyoungpeopleandshareherexperience.

(C)Becauseshedoesnothavetherequiredcertificateinbusinessmanagement.

(D)Becauseshedoesnotthinkthatshehasearnedquiteenoughfromherpreviousjob.

PartC:ListeningandTranslation

I.SentenceTranslation

Directions:Inthispartofthetest,youwillhear5sentenceinEnglish.YouwillhearthesentencesONLYONCE.Afteryouhaveheardeach

sentence,translateitintoChineseandwriteyourversioninthecorrespondingspaceinyourANSWERBOOKLET.

(1)

(2)

(3)

(4)

(5)

II.PassageTranslation

Directions:Inthispartofthetest,youwillhear2passagesinEnglish.YouwillhearthepassagesONLYONCE.Afteryouhaveheardeach

passage,translateitintoChineseandwriteyourversioninthecorrespondingspaceinyourANSWERBOOKLET.Youmaytakenoteswhile

youarelistening.

(1)

(2)

SECTION2:STUDYSKILLS

Directions:Inthissection,youwillreadseveralpassages.Eachpassageisfollowedbyseveralquestionsbasedonitscontent.Youareto

chooseONEbestanswer,(A),(B),(C)or(D),toeachquestion.Answerallthequestionsfollowingeachpassageonthebasisofwhatisstated

orimpliedinthatpassageandwritetheletteroftheansweryouhavechoseninthecorrespondingspaceinyourANSWERBOOKLET.

Questions1~5

FilledwiththeeuphoriaofvictoryanddreamsoftheirfirstBigTentitlein11years,PennStateUniversitystudentsrushedthefieldastime

expiredintheirwinoverOhioState.Inthechaosthatfollowed,thecampuspolicestruggledtokeepcontrol,andidentifyingthe

over-zealousfansseemedimpossible,impossible,thatis,untilthepolicedepartmentturnedtoanewcrime-fightingtool:.

PennStateofficershadwarnedthestudentsinadvancelastOctoberthatcrossingoverfromthestandswasasafetyhazardandwouldnot

bepermitted.Whentheruleswerebroken,aquicksearchonlinerevealedthephotoalbumnlrushedthefieldaftertheOSU

gameandlived."Thealbumcreatorhadevenhelpfullytaggedallofthoseinvolved-offeringthecampuspoliceaneasywaytoissuestem

warnings."Itwasreallydangerousandnotacceptablebehavior,"saysTyroneParham,assistantdirectoratthePSUpolice."Weneededto

sendamessage.Wesearchedthegroup,contactedtheindividualsandsaidthatthiswasnottolerablebehavior."

Longastudentfavoriteandtheseventhmost-traffickedInternetsite,hasfoundanewfollowing—thosewhowearblue.

Traditionally,campuspoliceforceshavefollowednoisereportsintheirattempttokeepSaturdaynightssafe.Buttheadventof

social-networkingsitesisstartingtorevolutionizecampusdetectivework.

GeorgeWashingtonUniversitypolicedepartmentchiefDoloresStaffordclaims,"Facebookexistsandcancertainlybeatool,butwe'renot

outtherelookingatthesite."Studentsatthecollege,however,arenotsosure.Whenrumorsflewthatcampuscopswereusingthestudent

socialnetworktoinfringetheirrighttoparty,GWUstudentsdecidedtoexactrevenge.Inacarefullyexecutedplan,studentsfilled

withchatteraboutaragingpartytheywerethrowing,hopingthepolicewouldbewatching.Theywerenotdisappointed.

Whentheofficersarrived,theyfoundshotsglassesbrimmingwithchocolatecake,Beirutcupsfilledwithfrosting,andpartygoersloadedup

onsugarratherthanalcohol.

WhiletheGWUpolicedenyusingtheInternettofindtheparty,thestudentsfeltvindicated.'CakeParty*attendeeKyleStonemancomments:

"Fromalargerstandpoint,there'snothingimmoralorillegalaboutthepoliceusing.Iguessthey'llplaytheirgame,we'llplay

ours,andwe'llseewhowins."

Forcollegepoliceforces,however,theissueisaboutmorethanwinning.Instead,theytrytofindthatdelicatebalancebetweenupholding

thelaw(read:preventingunderagedrinking)andmaintaininggoodrelationswiththestudents(read:turningablindeye)."It'sa

never-endingstruggle,"saysFisherCollegeChiefofCampusPoliceJohnMcLaughlin."Likeanyothercollegeanduniversity,wewantthisto

beasopenofarelationshipaspossible.Wedon'twanttobetooobtrusiveandwealsodon'twanttobetoostrict.Itrequiresreal

diligence."

1.Whichofthefollowingbestdescribes?

(A)Itisapopularwebsitewiththestudents.

(B)Itiscrime-fightingtoolinventedbythepolice.

(C)Itisanelectronicbookofstrictcampusregulations.

(D)ItisavirtualpartyheldontheInternet.

2.WhatisthetraditionalwayforthecampuspolicetoensuresecurityonSaturdays?

(A)Topatrolthecampusregularly.

(B)Tocheckthestudents'website.

(C)Tomonitornoisesonthecampus.

(D)Towarnthestudentsinadvance.

3.Whatdoestheauthortrytoshowwiththe"CakeParty"incident?

(A)Itwaswrongofthepolicetointerfereintheparty.

(B)Thepoliceweredefinitelylookingatthewebsite.

(C)Thestudentstriedtoprotecttheirownright.

(D)Partieslikethisoneweredangerous.

4.WhatdostudentslikeKyleStonemanthinkofthepoliceusing?

(A)Itisimmoral.

(B)Itisillegal.

(C)Itishelpful.

(D)Itisunderstandable.

5.Whichofthefollowingisthemajorconcernofthepolice?

(A)Howtorevolutionizecampusdetectiveworkandcombatcrimeeffectively.

(B)Howtostrikeabalancebetweenlawenforcementandhumanrelationship.

(C)Howtousewithoutbeingfoundoutbythestudents.

(D)Howtoendthelongstandinghostilitybetweenthestudentsandthepolice.

Questions6~10

AfterSABMillerlostabiddingwarforChina'sHarbinBreweryGrouptoAnheuser-BuschCosotwoyearsago,itlookedasifAmerica'sKingof

BeerswouldreignovertheMiddleKingdomaswell.Anheuser-Busch,afterall,hadalreadysealedadealwithChina'sleadingbrewery,

Tsingtao,andwithHarbininitsstableitlookedunbeatable.

ButSABMillerhadaPlanBthatcouldwellgiveitthethroneafterall.SincelosingHarbin,London-basedSABhasfocuseditsenergiesona

12-year-oldjointventure,ChinaResourcesSnowBreweriesLtd.,thatisnowthriving.InJune,CRSnow,whichincludes46breweriesacross

thecountry,surpassedlongtimeleaderTsingtaofortheNodspot.Forthe12monthsthroughJune,CRSnowproducednearly40million

barrels,vs.37millionforTsingtao.Asaresult,CRSnowboasts14.9%oftheChinesemarket,comparedwithTsingtao's13.9%."Ourgrowth

hasbeenonthebackofaveryconsistentandtargetedstrategy,"saysWayneHall,SABMiller'sfinancedirectorinChina.

BothcompanieswanttobethetoastofChina.AsbeersalesintheU.S.andWesternEuropehavelosttheirfizz,they'regrowingat8%-plus

annuallyinChina.ThathashelpedChinaovertaketheU.S.astheworld'stopbeermarket.

SABwasearlytoseethepromiseofChina,whereithasbeenbrewingsince1994.YetinsteadoftargetingbigcitiessuchasShanghaiand

Beijing,asitscompetitorsdid,SABMillerscoopedupbreweriesinlessaffluentareas,includingthenortheasternrustbeltandthepopulous

inlandprovinceofSichuan.ThiscontrarianstrategyhasallowedSABMillertobuildupanationalfootprintatbargainprices.WhileAnheuser

poniedup$700million—asmuchas$62perbarrelofannualbrewingcapacity-forHarbin,SABMillerhastypicallypaid$30-$40perbarrel

foritsbreweries."SABMillerhasmadeamintbypurposelybuyingcheaperassets,"saysBear,Stearns&Co.analystAnthonyBucalo.

SABMillerhasbeensmartinitspositioningoftheflagshipSnowbrand.Toappealtoupwardlymobileyouth,itslappedashiny,modern

labelonthe50-year-oldbrewandlaunchedanationaladcampaignemphasizingthebeer'sfreshness,completewithsweepstakesthat

rewardwinnerswithoutdoorvacations.Themarketingpushispayingoffasitpressesintothebigcities.Chinanowaccountsfornearly20%

ofSABMiller'stotalvolumes,andSnowhasbecomeChina'sNo.lbrand.Soon,itwillprobablysurpassMillerLiteasthebiggestsellerinthe

company'scooler.

6.Whatisthisarticlemainlyabout?

(A)ThebiddingwarbetweenSABMillerandAnheuser-BuschCos.

(B)ChinahasovertakentheU.Sasthetopbeermarket.

(C)HowSABMillerbeatsAnheuseringlobalmakets.

(D)ThesuccessofSABMillerinChina.

7.WhatmakesSnowbeeroneofthebest-sellingbeersinChina?

(A)Thecompanyhasspecialtechnologies.

(B)Snowbeertastesbetter.

(C)Thecompanyhasadoptedaneffectivemarketingstrategy.

(D)CRSnowhaspurposelyboughtcheaperassetsfromSABMiller.

8.Theword"affluent"inparagraph4canbereplacedby.

(A)wealthy

(B)populous

(C)influential

(D)fluent

9.WhichofthefollowingisTRUEaccordingtothearticle?

(A)SABMillerisanAmerica-basedbeercompany.

(B)Snowbeerisnowbeingsoldallaroundtheworld.

(C)BeersalesintheU.S.andWesternEuropedroppedrecently.

(D)Snowbeeriswelcomedbybothyouthsand50-year-olds.

10.Whatcanbeconcludedfromthisarticle?

(A)TsingdaobeerislesstastythanSnowbeer.

(B)Anheuser-BuschusedtobethelargestbeercompanyinEurope.

(C)SABMillerspent$700millioninbuildingnewbreweries.

(D)SnowbeerislikelytobecomethebiggestsellerinSABMiller.

Questions11~15

Intheinformationtechnologyindustry,itiswidelyacknowledgedthathowwellITdepartmentsofthefuturecanfulfiltheirbusinessgoals

willdependnotontheregularupdatingoftechnology,whichisessentialforthemtodo,butonhowwelltheycanholdontothepeople

skilledatmanipulatingthenewesttechnology.Thisisbecomingmoredifficult.BestestimatesofthecurrentshortfallinITstaffintheUKare

between30,000and50,000,andgrowing.

Andthereisnoendtotheprobleminsight.Asevereindustry-widelackofinvestmentintrainingmeansthelong-termskillsbaseisboth

ageingandshrinking.Employersarechasingexperiencedstaffinever-decreasingcircles,and,accordingtoarecentgovernmentreport,

250,000newITjobswillbecreatedoverthenextdecade.

Mostemployersareconfiningthemselvestodealingwiththeimmediateproblems.Thereislittleevidence,forexample,thattheyare

steppinguptheirintakeofrawrecruitsforin-housetraining,orretrainingexistingstafffromotherfunctions.Thisisthecourseofaction

recommendedbytheComputerSoftwareServicesAssociation,butresearchshowsitsmembersareadoptingtheshort-termmeasureof

bringinginmoreandmoreconsultantsonacontractbasis.

WithITprofessionalsincreasinglyattractedtothefinancialrewardsandflexibilityofconsultancywork,averagestaffturnoverratesare

estimatedtobearound15%.Whilemanycompaniesinthefinancialservicessectoraremanagingtocontaintheirlossesbyofferingskilled

ITstaff"goldenhandcuffs"—deferredloyaltybonusesthattietheminuntilacertaindate-otherorganisations,likelocalgovernments,are

unabletomatchthecompetitivesalariesandperksonofferintheprivatesectorandcontractormarket,andaresufferingturnoverratesof

upto60%ayear.

Butwhileloyaltybonuseshavegrabbedtheheadlines,thereareothermeansofholdingontostaff.SomecompaniesaredoingadditionalIT

payreviewsintheyearandpayingmarketpremiums.Butsuchmeasurescancreateseriousemployeerelationsproblemsamongthose

excluded,bothwithinandoutsideITdepartments.Manyindustryexpertsadviseemployerstolinkbonusestoperformancewherever

possible.However,employersarerealisingthatbonuseswillonlysucceediftheyareaccompaniedbyotherincentivessuchasattractive

careerprospects,training,andchallengingworkthatmeetstheindividual'slong-termambitions.

11.Accordingtothepassage,thesuccessofITdepartmentswilldependon.

(A)theirsuccessatretainingtheirskilledstaff

(B)theextenttowhichtheyinvestinnewtechnology

(C)theirattemptstorecruitstaffwiththenecessaryskills

(D)theabilityofemployeestokeepupwiththelatestdevelopments

12.Theproblemreferredtointhesecondparagraphisthat.

(A)thegovernmentneedstocreatethousandsofnewITposts

(B)thepoolofskilledITpeoplewillgetevensmallerinthefuture

(C)companybudgetsforITtraininghavebeendecreasingsteadily

(D)olderITprofessionalshavenoadequatetraining

13.Whatisthepossiblesolutiontothelong-termproblemsintheITindustry?

(A)Tooffertopratestoattractthebestspecialistconsultants.

(B)Toexpandcompanytrainingprogramsfornewandoldemployees.

(C)Toconductmoreresearchintothereasonsforstaffleaving.

(D)Toensurethatpermanentstaffearnthesameascontractstaff.

14.Insomebusinessesinthefinancialservicessector,theITstaffingproblemhasledto.

(A)additionalbenefitsforskilledstaffafteraspecifiedperiodoftime

(B)moreemployeesseekingalternativeemploymentinthepublicsector

(C)thelossofcustomerstorivalorganizations

(D)moreflexibleconditionsofworkfortheirstaff

15.EmployersacceptthatITprofessionalsaremorelikelytostayintheirpresentpostifthey.

(A)aresetmorerealisticperformancetargets

(B)haveagoodworkingrelationshipwithstaffinotherdepartments

(C)areprovidedwithopportunitiesforprofessionaldevelopment

(D)receivearemunerationpackageattopmarketrates

Questions16~20

DeclanMayes,PresidentoftheMusicBuyersAssociation,isfuriousatarecentannouncementbytherecordingindustryregardingpeople

downloadingMP3musicfilesfromtheInternetasactualcriminals.

Afewparallelsmaybeinstructive.Ifsomeonecopiesanaudiomusiccassettefortheirownprivateuse,theyare,strictlyspeaking,breaking

thelaw.Butrecordingcompanieshaveusuallyturnedablindeyetothispracticebecauseprosecutingthefewpeopleinvolvedwouldbe

difficult,andthefinanciallosstothecompanyitselfisnotconsideredsignificant.NowtheMusicRecordingAssociationhasannouncedthat

itregardsindividualsdownloadingmusicfromtheInternetaspirates,claimingthattheydamagetheindustryinjustthesameway."The

industryiscompletelyoverreacting;it'llbealaughingstock,"saysMayes."They'regoingtoarrestsometeenagerdownloadingfilesinhis

bedroom-andsuehimforthousandsofdollars!Thisisn'tgoingtofrightenanyoneintobuyingCDs".

Mayesmayhaveapoint.ThereisageneralconsensusthatCDpiratesshouldbesubjectedtothefullwrathofthelaw,butfewwouldseean

individualdownloadingmusicforhisorherownpleasureinthesamelight.However,downloadingmusicfilesillegallyisnotasinnocuous

asmakingprivatecopiesofaudiocassettes.Thescratchy,distortedcassettecopyisapoorversionoftheoriginalrecording,whereasanMP3

fileisofhighqualityandcanbestored-onaCD,forexample.Itisthisthatmakesthepracticeapowerfultemptationformusicfans,given

thehighcostofCDs.

WhatdoesMayesthinkaboutclaimsthatmusiccompaniescouldbeforcedoutofbusinessbypeopledownloadingmusicillegally?That's

nonsense.Musiccompaniesarealwayswhiningabouthighcosts,butthatdoesn'tpreventthemfromrecordinghundredsofCDsby

completelyunknownartists,manyofwhomare"packaged"bymarketingdepartmentstoappealtoyoungconsumers.Thecompaniesare

simplyhopingthatoneofthesenewbandsorsignerswillbeahit,andalthoughitcanbeexpensivetopromotenewartists,thecostof

manufacturingtheCDsisactuallyverylow.

Thislastpointwouldappeartobethefocusofresentmentagainstmusiccompanies:aCDisfarcheapertoproducethanitspriceinthe

shopswouldindicate,andprofitmarginsforthemusiccompaniesarehuge.Anadultwithareasonableincomemaynotobjecttopaying

£15foraCDofclassicalmusic,butateenagerbuyingaCDbythelatestpopsensationmayfindthatpricerathersteep-especiallysincethe

latestpopsensationisalmostcertaintobeforgottenwithinafewmonths.Andwhiletherecordingindustrycan'tbeheldresponsiblefor

theevanescentnatureoffame,giventheteenageappetiteforanythingnovel,itcouldlowerthepricesitcharges—especiallysince

technologyismakingCDsevencheapertoproduce.

ThisiswhatMayeshopeswillhappen.Ifthemusicindustrystopsexploitingthemusic-buyingpublic,itcansurvive.Everyonewouldrather

buyaCD,withanattractivejacketandbooklet,thanmessarounddownloadingfiles,butthepricehastobereasonable.Theproblemisn't

goingtovanishiftheindustrycarriesontryingtomakeaquickprofit.Technologyhascaughtupwiththemusiccompanies,andtryingto

fightitbytakingpeopletocourtwillonlyearnmoneyforthelawyers.

16.Mayesthinksthattherecordingindustry'srecentannouncement.

(A)failstotakeintoaccountthedifficultiesofprosecutingoffenders

(B)makestheindustryappearridiculous

(C)willdeterconsumersfrombuyingCDs

(D)willencourageresentmentofCDpiracy

17.WhydoesthewriterfeelthatMP3filesareunlikecopiesofaudiocassettes?

(A)DownloadedMP3filesaregenerallynotforprivateuse.

(B)Thefinanciallossestothemusicindustryaregreater.

(C)ThepriceofMP3sishigherthanthatofaudiocassettes.

(D)Thereisasignificantdifferenceinquality.

18.Accordingtothepassage,Mayesimpliesthat