2017-2018学年安徽省宿州市两校高二上学期期末联考英语试题 Word版 13页

‎2017-2018学年安徽省宿州市两校高二上学期期末联考 英语 ‎ 本试卷分第I卷（选择题）和第II卷（非选择题）两部分。满分150分，考试时 ‎120分钟。‎ 注意事项：‎ ‎ 答案应写在答题卡上，不能写在试题卷上。‎ 第I卷 选择题（共三部分 满分100分）‎ 第一部分 听力（共两节，满分30分）‎ ‎ 做题时，先将答案标在试卷上。录音内容结束后，你将有两分钟的时间将试卷上答案转涂到答题卡上。‎ 第一节（共5小题；每小题1.5分，满分7.5分）‎ 听下面5段对话。每段对话后有一个小题，从题中所给的A、B、C三个选项中选出最佳选项，并标在试卷的相应位置。听完每段对话后，你都有10秒钟的时间来回答有关小题和阅读下一小题。每段对话仅读一遍。‎ ‎1. What might prevent the woman buying the table?‎ A. Its quality. B. Its price. C. Its design.‎ ‎2. Who planted the trees?‎ A. The woman. B. Henry. C. Someone else.‎ ‎3. What happened to the woman?‎ A. She got fired today. ‎ B. She got promoted last week. ‎ C. She was fooled by the man.‎ ‎4. What did the man do?‎ A. He gave the woman the wrong information.‎ B. He put the sugar in the black container. ‎ C. He added salt to his coffee.‎ ‎5. How long is a day on Mars?‎ A. Less than 24 hours. B. 24 hours and 37 minutes. C. 37 hours.‎ 第二节（共15小题；每小题1.5分，满分22.5分）‎ 听下面5段对话或独白。每段对话或独白后有几个小题，从题中所给的A、B、C三个选项中选出最佳选项，并标在试卷的相应位置。听每段对话或独白前，你将有时间阅读各个小题，每小题5秒钟；听完后，各小题将给出5秒钟的作答时间。每段对话或独白读两遍。‎ 听第6段材料，回答第6至8题。‎ ‎6. What do we know about the woman’s document?‎ A. It’s about 30000 words long. B. It’s written in English. C. It’s a textbook.‎ ‎7. Which language is the most difficult according to the man?‎ A. Arabic. B. Spanish. C. English.‎ ‎8. What does the woman decide to do?‎ A. Translate the document herself. ‎ B. Hire the man to do the translation.‎ C. Look for another translator.‎ 听第7段材料，回答第9、10题。‎ ‎9. Why does the woman call the man?‎ A. To place an ad in the newspaper. ‎ B. To ask about something for sale.‎ C. To find out about a TV program.‎ ‎10. When will the speakers meet this afternoon?‎ A. At 2:00. B. At 3:00. C. At 4:00.‎ 听第8段材料，回答第11至13题。‎ ‎11. Why was the man disappointed?‎ A. China lost the match. ‎ B. China did not play well.‎ C. The other team made too many mistakes.‎ ‎12. What did the woman enjoy most about the match?‎ A. The passion of the sport. ‎ B. The skill of the players.‎ C. The close score of the game.‎ ‎13. What did the man say about China’s women’s team in the next Olympics?‎ A. China will surely win a gold medal. ‎ B. China will definitely lose to good teams.‎ C. China should hope for a bronze medal.‎ 听第9段材料，回答第14至17题。‎ ‎14. Where does the conversation take place?‎ A. In the woman’s. B. In the hospital. C. In an office.‎ ‎15. What was the purpose of the meeting?‎ A. To find out why the woman’s recent work was poor.‎ B. To ask about the woman’s family.‎ C. To fire the woman.‎ ‎16. What happened to the woman’s mother?‎ A. She was seriously sick. ‎ B. She had a car accident.‎ C. She died of stomach cancer.‎ ‎17. What was Mr. Travers’ attitude to the woman in the end?‎ A. He was angry. B. He was critical. C. He was kind.‎ 听第10段材料，回答第18至20题。‎ ‎18. Where was Brandon last seen?‎ A. In the frozen foods section. ‎ B. In the sporting goods section.‎ C. In the toys section.‎ ‎19. What is Brandon wearing?‎ A. A white shirt and a red baseball cap. ‎ B. Blue jeans and a black baseball cap.‎ C. A dark shirt and blue jeans.‎ ‎20. What should guests do if they see the boy?‎ A. Call the security department. ‎ B. Take him to the Pizza Hut.‎ C. Help him to reach the security desk. ‎ 第二部分 阅读理解（共20小题；每小题2分，满分40分）‎ ‎ 第—节（共15小题；每小题2分，满分30分）阅读下面短文，从每题所给的四个选项（A、B、C、D）中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。‎ A London has many beautiful parks and gardens, but Kew Gardens and Richmond Park are your best choices.‎ Kew Gardens is a Botanical Research Center and ‎ it possesses the largest plant collection in the world. ‎ With its beautiful lawns（草坪）, formal gardens ‎ and greenhouses, it is such a tourist attraction for ‎ anybody visiting the capital. Probably the Chinese Pagoda ‎ is the most recognizable structure, but the Alpine house, Chokushi-Mon, Kew Palace, Queen Charlotte’s Cottage or Shirley Sherwood Gallery are beautiful and interesting attractions as well.‎ Richmond Park is an area of natural beauty and wild life. Like Kew Gardens（just 2 miles away）, Richmond Park has a wonderful variety of plant and animal life.‎ If you are planning to visit either of the two parks, you will be thrilled to know that the area has six main car parks, all costing small fees. The disabled, providing a disabled badge（残疾证）, though, can park for free.‎ Kew Gardens is open 9:30 am to 3:45 pm during the winter months, and 9:30 to 5:00 pm in the summer months. Richmond Park, however, is open from 7:00 am to 5:00 pm in summer while 7:30 am to 4:00 pm in winter.‎ Richmond Park is free of charge, while you need to pay to get into Kew Gardens. The price is fairly small though, with children under the age of 17（when accompanied by an adult）visiting for free.‎ More information about Kew Gardens:‎ Address: Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew Rd, London E-mail: info@kew.org Phone: +44 020 8332 5655‎ Website: http://www.kew.org/visit-kew-gardens/‎ Price: £11.50‎ Note: Kew Gardens is one of the most popular visitor attractions in London area and can therefore be extremely crowded during summer months, particularly on summer weekends.‎ ‎21. Which of the following statements is TRUE?‎ A. Richmond Park is a Botanical Research Center.‎ B. Visitors to Kew Gardens can park free of charge.‎ C. It’s convenient for visitors to park their cars in both parks.‎ D. You’d better choose to visit Kew Gardens on summer weekends.‎ ‎22. Which of the following time is suitable if you visit Richmond Park in winter?‎ A.7:00 am. B. 7:45 am. C. 4:00 pm. D. 5:00 pm.‎ ‎23. If the Browns with their child aged 5 want to visit Kew Gardens, they have to pay _____.‎ A. £5.75 B. £11.50 C. £23.00 D. £34.50‎ ‎24. According to the passage, in which ways can you get more information about Kew Gardens?‎ ‎① By visiting the website. ② By writing a letter.‎ ‎③ By sending an email. ④ By sending fax.‎ ‎⑤ By reading a newspaper. ⑥ By making a call.‎ A. ①②③⑥ B. ②③④⑥ C. ①④⑤⑥ D. ①②③⑤‎ B Holi, also called the Festival of Colors, is a popular ‎ Hindu spring festival observed in India, Nepal, ‎ Bangladesh. It is celebrated at the end of the winter ‎ season on the last full moon day of the lunar month.‎ Holi originally was a festival to celebrate good ‎ harvests. It developed to honor a legend from the ‎ Hindu Mythology（神话）. The story focuses on a cruel ‎ king, who hated his son,Prahlada. He attempted to kill ‎ his son but failed each time. Finally, the king asked his sister Holika, who was said to be safe in fire, to get rid of his son. However, when the aunt tried to burn Prahlada, it was the prince who ended up being safe in fire while the aunt herself was burnt to death. Holi honors this event every year and huge bonfires（篝火）are burnt on the eve of Holi. The festival spreads over 16 days. During these days people often have fun and play with colored powder and water. Holi is also celebrated with exciting parades which are companied by folk songs and dances.‎ The festival begins on the night of the full moon. Bonfires are lit on street corners to drive away the air of evil spirits and bad feelings, and to symbolize the destruction of bad Holika, after whom the festival was named. In the morning, the streets are filled with people running, shouting and laughing.‎ At noon, the craziness comes to an end and everyone heads to either the river or the bathroom, then relaxes and enjoys candies. A tired and contented silence falls over India.‎ ‎25．We can know from the passage that _____.‎ A. Holi lasts less than two weeks ‎ B. the Indians celebrate Holi in honor of Holika C. everyone needs to have a swim in the river in Holi ‎ D. bonfires are burnt to drive away the air of evil spirits ‎26. What do you know about Holi?‎ A. It’s celebrated only in India. ‎ B. It’s named after the prince.‎ C. It’s celebrated in different ways. ‎ D. It’s celebrated at the beginning of the winter season.‎ ‎27. Which of the following statements about the legend is TRUE?‎ A. The king hated his son and killed him. ‎ B. The aunt Holika was burnt to death in the end.‎ C. The prince Prahlada was burnt to death by his aunt. ‎ D. Both the king and his sister were killed as a punishment.‎ ‎28. What is the best title of the passage?‎ A. A King and a Prince B. A Grand Holi Bonfire C. A Popular Hindu Spring Festival D. A Legend of the Hindu Mythology C A new study says electronic toys are not helping babies learn.‎ ‎"Even if companies are marketing them as educational, they're not teaching the babies anything at this time," said Anna Sosa the study's author.‎ Researchers listened to audio(声音的)recordings of parents playing with their babies aged 10 months to 16 months. The researchers compared the experiences when the children played with electronic toys, traditional toys such as blocks, or when the children looked at books. What they found is that parents talked less with their babies when the babies played with electronic toys. ‎ Why is this important? Research shows that how quickly children develop language is often based on what they hear from parents. When the infants played with electronic toys, parents said little to their children. But with traditional toys, such as blocks, parents shared the names and descriptions of the animals, colors and shapes as their children played. There was even more information given by parents as their babies looked at the pictures in books.‎ Of course, there is no need for parents to throw out electronic toys, but they should look at their infants’ play with such toys as entertainment, not a learning experience.‎ Toy Industry Association spokeswoman Adrienne Appell responded to the study. She said it is important that parents make time to play with their children. "Playing is a way that kids can learn so much, not only cognitive(认知的) skills, but social and developmental skills," she said. She added that play should be balanced, including time for just "make believe" activities, as well as traditional and electronic toys.‎ ‎29. What’s Anna Sosa’s attitude towards companies claiming that their toys are educational?‎ A. supportive B. indifferent C. uninterested D. doubtful ‎ ‎30. We can learn from the text that babies in the research __________.‎ A. liked traditional toys better than electronic toys ‎ B. interact less with their parents when playing with electronic toys C. talked little with their parents when playing with electronic toys ‎ D. listened to audio recordings of their parents ‎ ‎31. Children develop language more quickly when their parents __________. ‎ A. read them picture books often B. teach them how to speak ‎ C. buy them a lot of toys D. throw away their electronic toys ‎32. According to Adrienne Appell, playing __________. ‎ A. can’t take the place of learning ‎ B. shouldn’t take most of children’s time C. is good to children’s overall development ‎ D. can’t develop children’s cognitive skills D Do you believe that things are connected for no scientific reason at all? For example, do you avoid saying the word “four” to avoid bad luck? If so, you have a superstition (迷信). And you’re not alone – all kinds of people have them.‎ For example, Portugal’s soccer superstar Cristiano Ronaldo always steps onto the pitch (球场) with his right foot first, according to The Telegraph. And sports players are not alone in having superstitions. A visitor once asked the Nobel Prize winning scientist Niels Bohr whether he really believed that the horseshoe he’d hung at his country home was lucky. “Of course not,” the Danish physicist said. “But I understand it’s lucky whether you believe in it or not.”‎ One recent study found that even scientists at MIT and other top US schools tended to look for a ‎ meaning in natural events, similar to the connection between stepping on the pitch and playing soccer well, according to The Atlantic. When the researchers gave the scientists little time to answer questions, they were twice as likely to agree with statements such as “Trees produce oxygen so that animals can breathe” as they were when they had more time to think about their reply.‎ It seems that fear can make people think differently in this way, too. In a British study, students imagined meeting a “witch” who said she would cast (施魔法) an evil spell(符咒) on them. About half said a scientist should not be worried about the spell. Yet each of them said that, personally, they wouldn’t let the witch do it to them.‎ So why are so many of us superstitious? Well, it seems to be our way of dealing with the unknown. “Many people quite simply just want to believe,” Brian Crank, a professor of psychology at Missouri Western State University, said in a 2008 interview. “The human brain is always trying to work out why things happen, and when the reason is not clear, we tend to make up some pretty bizarre (古怪的) explanations.”‎ And these explanations aren’t completely unhelpful. In fact, superstitions can sometimes work and bring real luck, according to psychologists at the University of Cologne in Germany in the May 2010 issue of the journal Psychological Science. They found that believing in something can improve performance on a task like an exam.‎ So, what about you? What superstitions do you follow to keep you safe and successful?‎ ‎33. The author mentions avoiding saying the word "four" in the opening paragraph to ________.‎ A. show how foolish it is to believe in superstitions ‎ B. introduce the readers to the topic of superstitions C. discuss the scientific reasons behind superstitions ‎ D. prove that it is reasonable to be superstitious ‎34.How many superstitious practices are mentioned in the passage?‎ A. 3 B. 2 C. 4 D. 5‎ ‎35. What’s the author’s attitude to superstitions?‎ A. Unknown B. Positive C. Negative D. Neutral 第二节（共5小题；每小题2分，满分10分）根据短文内容，从短文后的选项中选出能填入空白处的最佳选项。选项中有两项为多余选项。‎ In the digital age,copying someone else's words is easy,but getting caught copying is even easier. When Melania Trump recently spoke at the Republican convention, she used some of the same words that Michelle Obama had used at the Democratic convention in 2008. Within hours, news spread around the world with the claim that Melania Trump had plagiarized Michelle Obama's speech. Students and teachers at universities in the U. S. and elsewhere were shocked. 36 ‎ What is plagiarism?‎ ‎ 37 That person could also be called a "literary thief' or a" plagiarist'.‎ Why is plagiarism a serious problem?‎ It's our own worst fear, to have that thing that we created stolen from us, and it's the same as our words. That thing that we created is essential to who we are. 38 Academics are especially aware of the nature of plagiarism because their work is essentially the creation of ideas and putting them into words.‎ ‎ 39 ‎ One of the possible punishments for' plagiarism at U. S. universities is dismissal from the school. Students may fail a course or be given a letter of censure(谴责)that stays on their school record, Professors or researchers who plagiarize may damage or end their careers.‎ Plagiarism is easy to find Before the digital age we live in, plagiarizing was harder. You had to write out the words you copied.‎ ‎ But now anything can be copied and pasted. In the past, teachers would have to work hard to prove that work was copied. 40 The plagiarism checking software programs used by many students and universities include Turnitin, Grammarly, Duplichecker, and Ithenticate. Nobody is going to get away with it.‎ A. How to avoid plagiarism B. Consequences of plagiarism C. Stealing our words is as serious as if stealing our child.‎ D. Nowadays,some software programs will help you avoid plagiarism E. Plagiarism is to copy someone else's written work without giving them credit.‎ F. But nowadays, all you have to do is run a paper through a plagiarism detection software.‎ G. They learn from their early years in school that copying another writers words is wrong.‎ 第三部分 英语知识应用（共三节，满分50分）‎ 第一节 完形填空（共20小题；每小题1.5分，满分30分）‎ 阅读下面短文，从短文后各题所给的四个选项（A、B、C、D）中，选出可以填入空白处的最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。‎ Once upon a time, a hardworking farmer had a fine farmland. And the harvest is always 41 under his care. But he knew that his three sons 42 down upon the farm work, and were 43 to make wealth through adventure.‎ When the farmer was old and felt that he would 44 soon, he called the three sons to him and said, “My sons, there is a pot of gold hidden in the 45 . Dig for it, if you wish it.”‎ The sons 46 to get him to tell them in what part of the farmland the gold was hidden; but he would tell them 47 more.‎ After the farmer was dead, the sons went to work to 48 the pot of gold; since they did not know 49 the hiding-place was, they 50 to begin in a line, at one end of the farmland, and to 51 until one of them should find the money. They dug until they had turned up the 52 from one end of the farmland to the other, round the tree-roots and between them. 53 no pot of gold was to be found. It seemed as if someone must have 54 it, or as if the farmer had been playing a joke on his 55 . The three sons were very 56 to have all their work for nothing.‎ The next year, the farmland produced 57 food than they had ever given; when it was sold, it gave the sons a whole pot of 58 .‎ And when they saw how much money had come 59 the farmland, they suddenly understood what the 60 father had meant.‎ ‎41. A. bad B. good C. helpful D. important ‎42. A. got B. put C. looked D. started ‎43. A. eager B. patient C. upset D. clever ‎44. A. live B. work C. play D. die ‎45. A. farmland B. house C. garden D. forest ‎46. A. refused B. pretended C. tried D. failed ‎47. A. nothing B. something C. anything D. everything ‎48. A. find B. sell C. buy D. divide ‎49. A. which B. what C. where D. how ‎50. A. preferred B. quarreled C. helped D. agreed ‎51. A. water B. dig C. plant D. fertilize ‎52. A. root B. seed C. pot D. soil ‎53. A. So B. But C. And D. Or ‎54. A. stolen B. thrown C. touched D. protected ‎55. A. friends B. daughters C. sons D. neighbours ‎56. A. disappointed B. worried C. satisfied D. excited ‎57. A. less B. more C. cheaper D. worse ‎58. A. salt B. sugar C. gold D. wine ‎59. A. with B. after C. into D. from ‎60. A. wise B. foolish C. honest D. bad 第II卷 非选择题 （共两部分 满分50分）‎ 第三部分 英语知识运用（共三节，满分50分）‎ 第二节 语法填空（共10小题；每小题1分，满分10分）‎ 阅读下面材料，在空白处填入适当的内容（1个单词）或括号内单词的正确形式填空。‎ Climate change has caused a rise in sea levels. This has increased the amount of salt in fresh water 61 (use) on coastal farms. As 62 result, farmers are 63 (gradual) unable to use fields close to the sea.‎ However, Marc Van Rijsselberg, a farmer in the Netherlands is now using a 64 (mix) of sea and fresh water 65 (grow) healthy and tasty vegetables.‎ He teamed up with scientists from the Free University and divided a farm 66 eight negated areas. Separate pipes pumped fresh and sea water, and a computer program created water with eight levels of salinity（含盐度）．‎ ‎ The water levels and the levels of salinity were controlled by computerized measuring devices called "sensors". Mr. Van Rijsselberg said he was able to harvest vegetables from most of the eight testing areas. He said the vegetables were smaller than 67 grown in fresh water. But he said they also had more sugar and salt, so they tasted much 68 (good).‎ ‎ He found that potatoes grew better than the other vegetables in the combination of sea and fresh water. Mr. Van Rijsselberg said four kinds of these potatoes would be sent to Pakistan 69 thousands of hectares of land 70 (damage) by salinization (盐化作用) last year.‎ 第三节 选词填空（共10小题；每小题1分，满分10分）‎ 阅读下面句子，从方框里选出合适的单词或短语填入空白处，使语意完整。‎ quantities of,on average,on behalf of, in existence, on the whole, in panic, in appreciation of, be apposed of,decide on, in spite of 71. I gave her a bunch of flowers her help.‎ ‎72.Thus,the division, ,depends on the readers.‎ ‎73. ,he gets three calls per hour during office hours.‎ ‎74.Any honest man will such a policy.‎ ‎75. the large-scale construction of roads and highways,there is still much room for improvement.‎ ‎76.The police discovered arms hidden in the cave.‎ ‎77.Since he is so important a figure,nobody can be him.‎ ‎78.Office workers fled as the fire broke out.‎ ‎79.This is the large ship .‎ ‎80.Sometimes it is not easy to an important thing.‎ 第四部分 写作（共两节，满分30分）‎ 第一节 单句改错（共5小题；每小题1分，满分5分）‎ 每个句子仅有一处语言错误，每处错误仅涉及一个单词的增加、删除或修改。‎ 增加：在此处加一个漏词符号（∧），并在此符号下面写出该加的词；‎ 删除：把多余的词用斜线（＼）划掉；‎ 修改：在错词下面划一横线，并在该词下面写出修改后的词。‎ ‎1.We ran out the coal, and we had to burn wood.‎ ‎2.As consequence of smoking, my father coughs frequently.‎ ‎3.Large quantities of food was sold yesterday.‎ ‎4.There is no doubt whether he can win the game.‎ ‎5.We had just begun to work while the machine broke down.‎ 第二节 书面表达（满分25分）‎ 假如你是某校高二学生李华。你的英国笔友Helen最近写信向你倾诉她的烦恼。得知她最近因学习压力大开始失眠，学习效率也降低后，你决定给她一些建议加以鼓励。请你根据以下要点提示用英文回信： ·turn to your close friends for help… ·keep a positive attitude … ·take part in sports… ·listen to music… 注意：1.开头语和结束语已为你写好，不计入总词数； 2.可适当增加细节，使行文连贯； 3.词数100左右。 Dear Helen, I was very glad to receive your letter. ___________________________________________________‎ ‎____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ With best wishes. Yours, Li Hua ‎2017-2018学年度第一学期期末考试参考答案 高二年级英语 ‎ 第I卷 选择题（共三部分 满分100分）‎ 第一部 分 听力（共两节，满分30分）‎ ‎1—5 BABCB 6—10 BACBC 11—15 CACCA 16—20 ACABC 第二部分 阅读理解（共两节，每小题2分，满分40分）‎ ‎21-24 CBCA 25-28 DCBC 29-32 DBAC 33-35 BAD 36-40 GECBF 第三部分 英语知识运用（共两节，满分55分） ‎ 第一节：完形填空 (共20小题，每小题1.5分，满分30分)‎ ‎41-45 BCABA 46-50 CAACD 51-55 BDBAC 56-60 ABCDA 第二节 语法填空（共10小题，每小题1.5分，满分15分）‎ 61. used 62. a 63. gradually 64. mixture 65. to grow 66. into ‎ 62. ‎67. those 68. better 69. where 70. was damaged ‎ 第三节 选词填空（共10小题；每小题1分，满分10分）‎ ‎71.in appreciation of 72. on the whole 73. on average 74. be apposed of 75. in spite of 76.quantities of 77. on behalf of 78.in panic 79. in existence 80.decide on 第四部分 写作（共两节，满分35分）‎ 第一节 短文改错（共10小题；每小题1分，满分10分）‎ ‎（以下为正确句子）1.We ran out of the coal, and we had to burn wood.‎ ‎2.As a consequence of smoking, my father coughs frequently.‎ Large quantities of food were sold yesterday.‎ There is no doubt that he can win the game.‎ We had just begun to work when the machine broke down.‎ 第二节 书面表达（满分25分）‎ One possible version: Dear Helen, I was very glad to receive your letter. At the same time, I felt sad to hear that you were suffering in your studies. Here I’d like to share some advice with you on how to study efficiently. Firstly, you can talk with some close friends about your problems and ask them for help. This is an important way to deal with your problems directly. Secondly, try to study in a positive way, as this will decrease your pressure, making studying an easy job. Thirdly, spend time doing exercise, which can not only build up our body, but also refresh our mind. Lastly, you can listen to your favorite music when possible. I really hope my advice can be of some benefit to you. With best wishes. Yours,‎ ‎ Li Hua 录音原文：‎ Text 1‎ M: I really like this table, Marie. The wood is beautiful, and it looks like it will last a hundred years.‎ W: I agree with you, but I’m not sure we can afford it right now, Thomas.‎ Text 2‎ M: Did Henry plant all the trees himself?‎ W: He planned to, but he hurt his hand when he rode a bike. So I did instead of him.‎ Text 3‎ W: Trent, I’ve got something to tell you. I got fired today.‎ M: What?! You just got promoted last week! How could they do this to you?!‎ W: April Fool’s!‎ Text 4‎ W: You mistook the salt for sugar? I told you the salt was in the black container and the sugar was in the white one.‎ M: Yes, that was so silly of me. I forgot that you told me, and I couldn’t tell the difference at the time. This coffee is terrible now!‎ Text 5‎ M: Mars moves slower than the Earth.‎ W: Yes. A day on Mars is 37 minutes longer than a day on the Earth.‎ Text 6‎ M: Good morning, Native Tongue Translations. Can I help you?‎ W: Yes. I was wondering how much it would cost to translate a document from English into Arabic.‎ M: Well, it depends on the kind of document, how long it is, and when you need it returned.‎ W: It’s a cookbook about 20000 words long. It is not urgent, so you can take your time.‎ M: Well, Madam, Arabic is one of the most difficult languages in the world, and there aren’t very many translators compared to, say, Spanish. In other words, the charge for Arabic translation will be higher than for most other languages.‎ W: I understand. Could you give me an estimate?‎ M: For this project, we would charge between five and ten cents per word.‎ W: OK. Thanks for your time. I think I’ll keep looking.‎ Text 7‎ M: Hello?‎ W: Hi, my name is Kelsey Adams. I’m calling about the TV.‎ M: Oh, hi! So you saw my ad in the newspaper?‎ W: That’s right. My old TV just stopped working, so I think this might be great for both of us!‎ M: I hope so. It’s a 50-inch Sony flat screen TV, and it’s only 6 months old. I’m asking for 500 bucks, but I’d be willing to negotiate.‎ W: It sounds like a decent deal, but I would have to see it first, of course.‎ M: Absolutely. When can you come over to take a look at it?‎ W: How about 3:00 p.m. this afternoon?‎ M: Hmm, I’ve got a meeting at 2:00 p.m. and it might run a little late. How does 4:00 p.m. sound?‎ W: Perfect. Just tell me your address.‎ Text 8‎ M: Hey, did you see China’s women’s volleyball team on television last night?‎ W: Yes, the game was so exciting! I usually watch basketball, but that was great last night!‎ M: Definitely a good effort! If anything, I was disappointed that the other team didn’t put up much of a fight. They made a lot of bad mistakes, and they always seemed to be hitting the ball out of bounds.‎ W: I just enjoyed how China celebrated after every point they won. Volleyball seems so much more passionate compared to other sports.‎ M: Well, their victory means they will compete in the Olympics next year, which was their goal. I just hope they can pick up at least a bronze medal.‎ W: Bronze? You mean gold, right?‎ M: Well, that would be great, but there are a couple of very strong teams that beat China in a recent competition.‎ W: I saw those matches — they were extremely close! China can beat them next year for sure!‎ M: We’ll see. I hope you’re right. But you never know what will happen in sports.‎ W: Exactly! They might surprise you! Then what will you say?‎ M: Ha ha, OK, let’s just wait and see.‎ Text 9‎ M: Ms. Robertson, for the past three weeks, I have been getting complaints about your work.‎ W: Uh, what do you mean? What kind of complaints?‎ M: Well, your supervisor told me you’re turning your reports in 2 to 3 days late, you’re often absent from staff meetings, and you haven’t been getting along with your colleagues.‎ W: Look, Mr. Travers, I can explain...‎ M: Ms. Robertson, I know you have been with us for a while now, but this business is changing fast. We need people who can keep up and work as a team.‎ W: Mr. Travers, my mother was just diagnosed with stomach cancer. I’ve been spending all my time outside of work at the hospital with her, and I even had to leave work early because she went into emergency surgery and I had to sign some papers. I’ve been so exhausted, and then Morrison from accounting made a joke the other day about cancer victims losing their hair and...‎ M: Oh... I had no idea, Ms. Robertson.‎ W: I know my work has suffered these past few weeks, but I promise I will make up for it!‎ M: Listen, why don’t you take a couple of days off? It’s much more important that you be with your mother while she is recovering.‎ W: Really, sir? Thank you so much!‎ M: My pleasure. And I’ll have a word with Morrison. That kind of talk has no place in this office!‎ Text 10‎ Good afternoon, shoppers! This is a special request from the security department here at Wal-Mart. We hope you are finding everything you are looking for, but right now, we need your help. We are looking for a 10-year-old boy named Brandon McSorley. Brandon, if you can hear this, please go to the security desk located at the front of the store near the Pizza Hut. Your mom is looking for you. All other guests, please take a moment to help us find Brandon. His mother Sally was last with him in the frozen foods section about 10 minutes ago, and she thinks he is still somewhere in the store, possibly in the toys section or the sporting goods section. Brandon is wearing a red shirt, blue jeans, white shoes, and a black baseball cap. He is about 5 feet 2 inches tall with dark hair and blue eyes. If you see Brandon, please help him to get to the security desk located at the front of the store. You can also approach any of our staff members if you ‎ see Brandon or have any other information about where he might be. Thank you very much for your help, and enjoy the rest of your day here at Wal-Mart.‎