Section III Reading
ComprehensionPart ARead the following four
texts. Answer the questions below each text by
choosing A, B, C or D. Mark your answers on
ANSWER SHEET 1.
Text 1
It was 3:45 in the morning when
the vote was finally taken. After six months of
arguing and a final 16 hours of hot
parliamentary debates, Australia's Northern
Territory became the first legal authority in
the world to allow doctors to take the lives of
incurably ill patients who wish to die. The
measure was passed by the convincing vote of 15
to 10. Almost immediately word flashed on the
Internet and was picked up, half a world away,
by John Hofsess, executive director of the Right
to Die Society of Canada. He sent it on via the
group's on-line service, Death NET. Says
Hofsess: "We posted bulletins all day long,
because of course this isn't just something that
happened in Australia. It's world history."The
full import may take a while to sink in. The NT
Rights of the Terminally Ill law has left
physicians and citizens alike trying to deal
with its moral and practical implications. Some
have breathed sighs of relief; others, including
churches, right-to-life groups and the
Australian Medical Association, bitterly
attacked the bill and the haste of its passage.
But the tide is unlikely to turn back. In
Australia ? where an aging population,
life-extending technology and changing community
attitudes have all played their part ? other
states are going to consider making a similar
law to deal with euthanasia. In the U.S. and
Canada, where the right-to-die movement is
gathering strength, observers are waiting for
the dominoes to start falling.Under the new
Northern Territory law, an adult patient can
request death ? probably by a deadly injection
or pill ? to put an end to suffering. The
patient must be diagnosed as terminally ill by
two doctors. After a "cooling off" period of
seven days, the patient can sign a certificate
of request. After 48 hours the wish for death
can be met. For Lloyd Nickson, a 54-year-old
Darwin resident suffering from lung cancer, the
NT Rights of Terminally Ill law means he can get
on with living without the haunting fear of his
suffering: a terrifying death from his breathing
condition. "I'm not afraid of dying from a
spiritual point of view, but what I was afraid
of was how I'd go, because I've watched people
die in the hospital fighting for oxygen and
clawing at their masks," he says.
1. From the second paragraph we
learn that[A] the objection to euthanasia is
diminishing in some countries.[B] physicians and
citizens have the same view on euthanasia.[C]
technological changes are chiefly responsible
for the new law.[D] it takes time to appreciate
the significance of laws passed.
2. By saying that "observers are
waiting for the dominoes to start falling", the
authormeans that[A] observers are taking a
wait-and-see attitude towards the future of
euthanasia.[B] there is a possibility of similar
bills being passed in the U.S. and Canada.[C]
observers are waiting to see the movement end up
in failure.[D] the process of the bill taking
effect may finally come to a stop.
3. When Lloyd Nickson is close
to death, he will[A] undergo a cooling off
period of seven days.[B] experience the
suffering of a lung cancer patient.[C] have an
intense fear of terrible suffering.[D] face his
death with the calm characteristic of
euthanasia.4. What is the author's attitude
towards euthanasia?[A] Hostile.[B]
Suspicious.[C] Approving.[D] Indifferent.5. We
can infer from the text that the author believes
the success of the right-to-diemovement is[A]
only a matter of time.[B] far from certain.[C]
just an illusion.[D] a shattered hope.
Part BRead the following text
carefully and then translate the underlined
segments into Chinese. Your translation should
be written clearly on ANSWER SHEET 2.
Do animals have rights? This is
how the question is usually put. It sounds like
a useful, ground-clearing way to start.
61) Actually, it isn't, because
it assumes that there is an agreed account of
human rights, which is something the world does
not have.On one view of rights, to be sure, it
necessarily follows that animals have none.
62) Some philosophers argue that
rights exist only within a social contract, as
part of an exchange of duties and entitlements.
Therefore, animals cannot have rights. The idea
of punishing a tiger that kills somebody is
absurd; for exactly the same reason, so is the
idea that tigers have rights. However, this is
only one account, and by no means an uncontested
one. It denies rights not only to animals but
also to some people ? for instance, to infants,
the mentally incapable and future generations.
In addition, it is unclear what force a contract
can have for people who never consented to it:
how do you reply to somebody who says "I don't
like this contract"?The point is this: without
agreement on the rights of people, arguing about
the rights of animals is fruitless.
63) It leads the discussion to
extremes at the outset: it invites you to think
that animals should be treated either with the
consideration humans extend to other humans, or
with no consideration at all. This is a false
choice. Better to start with another, more
fundamental, question: is the way we treat
animals a moral issue at all?Many deny it.
64) Arguing from the view that
humans are different from animals in every
relevant respect, extremists of this kind think
that animals lie outside the area of moral
choice. Any regard for the suffering of animals
is seen as a mistake ? a sentimental
displacement of feeling that should properly be
directed to other humans.This view, which holds
that torturing a monkey is morally equivalent to
chopping wood, may seem bravely "logical". In
fact it is simply shallow: the confused center
is right to reject it. The most elementary form
of moral reasoning ? the ethical equivalent of
learning to crawl ? is to weigh others'
interests against one's own. This in turn
requires sympathy and imagination: without which
there is no capacity for moral thought. To see
an animal in pain is enough, for most, to engage
sympathy.
65) When that happens, it is not
a mistake: it is mankind's instinct for moral
reasoning in action, an instinct that should be
encouraged rather than laughed at.
Section IV WritingWidespread
tobacco consumption has led to grave
consequences, yet the tobacco companies are
still claiming that they make a valuable
contribution to the world economy.Write an essay
1) criticizing their view and
2) justifying your stand.In your
essay, make full use of the information provided
in the pictures printed below.You should write
approximately 160 ? 200 words on ANSWER SHEET 2.

ORAL TESTPart
AInterlocutor:1,Good morning/afternoon. Could I
have your mark sheets, please? Thank you.(Hand
over the mark sheets to the Assessor)2,My name
is ...and this is my colleague ... He/she is
just going to be listening to us. So, you are
... and ...? Thank you.3,First of all we'd like
to know something about you, so I'm going to ask
some questions about yourselves.(Select one or
more questions from each of the following
categories as appropriate.)
Hometown1,Where are you
from?2,How long have you lived there?3,What's it
like living there?
Family
? What can you tell me about
your family?Work / Study
? Can you tell me something
about your work or studies?(To a student)
? What do you specialize in?
? What do you enjoy most about
your studies?
? What subject(s) do you like
best?
? Have you ever worked during
the vacation?
? What kind of job did you do?
? How did you like it?(To an
adult who already has a job)
? What job do you do?
? Do you like it? And why?
? What qualifications did you
need in order to get your "job"?Leisure
? Do you have any hobbies?
? How did you become interested
in (whatever hobby the candidate enjoys)?
? Which do you prefer, watching
TV or going to the cinema? What sort ofprogram /
film do you like to watch?
? What kinds of sports are you
interested in? Why?
? What kinds of music do you
enjoy most? Why?
? How do you usually spend your
holidays?
? Is there anywhere you would
particularly like to visit? Why?Future Plans
? What do you hope to do in your
professional life in the next few years?
? How important is English for
your future plans? And please give reasons
tosupport your view.