大学英语6级考试听力直通249分 MODEL TEST7

 　　[00:12.94]MODEL TEST 7

　　[00:15.61]Section A

　　[00:17.70]Directions:

　　[00:19.45]In this section,

　　[00:21.00]you will hear 8 short conversations

　　[00:23.55]and 2 long conversations.

　　[00:25.98]At the end of each conversation,

　　[00:28.41]one or more questions will be

　　[00:30.55]asked about what was said.

　　[00:32.69]Both the conversation

　　[00:34.49]and the questions

　　[00:35.52]will be spoken only once.

　　[00:37.89]After each question

　　[00:39.77]there will be a pause.

　　[00:41.62]During the pause,

　　[00:42.94]you must read the four choices

　　[00:45.27]marked A), B), C) and D),

　　[00:49.24]and decide which is the best answer.

　　[00:52.20]Then mark the corresponding letter

　　[00:55.04]on Answer Sheet 2

　　[00:57.06]with a single line

　　[00:58.46]through the center.

　　[01:00.21]Now let's begin with

　　[01:02.52]the 8 short conversations.

　　[01:05.62]11.W: I wonder if you have time to

　　[01:09.51]go to the food store today.

　　[01:11.34]We have almost run out of bread.

　　[01:13.78]M: You’d better do that.

　　[01:16.36]I haven’t got my report ready yet,

　　[01:18.66]but my boss needs it tomorrow.

　　[01:21.02]Q: Why isn’t the man

　　[01:22.32]going to do the shopping?

　　[01:38.77]12.W: How do you like your

　　[01:41.77]new apartment?

　　[01:43.11]M: Well, it’s quite nice really,

　　[01:45.19]although I have a hard time

　　[01:46.82]getting used to living in a big place.

　　[01:49.46]Q: What is the man’s problem?

　　[02:06.81]13.W: Could you tell me

　　[02:09.73]what I should do

　　[02:10.81]if my car breaks down?

　　[02:12.58]M: Well, I'm sure you won't

　　[02:14.10]have any trouble,

　　[02:14.85]Mrs. Smith,

　　[02:16.09]but if something should happen,

　　[02:18.46]just call this number.

　　[02:20.09]They'll see that you get help.

　　[02:22.29]Q: What does the man really mean?

　　[02:39.45]14. M: Hey, Louise,

　　[02:43.74]I've got a used copy of our

　　[02:45.61]chemistry textbook for half price.

　　[02:48.32]W: I'm afraid you wasted your money,

　　[02:50.98]yours is the first edition,

　　[02:52.85]but we're supposed to be

　　[02:54.17]using the third edition.

　　[02:56.06]Q: What has the man done?

　　[03:13.04]15. M: Now, what's your problem, Madam?

　　[03:18.41]W: Oh, yes. My husband bought

　　[03:21.49]this yellow skirt here yesterday.

　　[03:23.53]It is very nice,

　　[03:25.07]but it's not the color I want.

　　[03:27.04]Have you got any blue ones?

　　[03:29.26]Q: What does the woman want to do?

　　[03:46.59]16.W: The place I've heard

　　[03:50.41]so much about is Los Angeles.

　　[03:53.15]The climate is pretty good.

　　[03:54.93]Year-round flowers,

　　[03:57.02]year-round swimming.

　　[03:58.54]How do you like it?

　　[04:00.03]M: Well, the beaches are beautiful.

　　[04:02.61]But the people there are

　　[04:04.30]terribly annoyed by the dirty air.

　　[04:07.04]I mean, the combination of fog,

　　[04:09.75]smoke and automobile exhaust.

　　[04:12.65]There is not enough wind

　　[04:14.44]to blow it away.

　　[04:16.17]Q: What does the man

　　[04:17.20]think of Los Angeles?

　　[04:33.82]17.M: I hear you are

　　[04:37.67]moving to an apartment.

　　[04:39.50]Can you tell me why?

　　[04:41.02]W: Actually, I didn’t want to move.

　　[04:44.57]It would be more expensive to

　　[04:46.28]live outside the college.

　　[04:47.92]But I just can’t bear the noise

　　[04:49.75]made by the people living next door.

　　[04:52.12]Q: Why does the woman want to move?

　　[05:09.99]18. W: Did you go shopping this afternoon?

　　[05:13.98]M: Yes, but all I got was a sore foot.

　　[05:17.61]Q: What does the man mean?

　　[05:34.66]Now you will hear the

　　[05:36.05]two long conversations.

　　[05:39.43]Conversation One

　　[05:41.27]W: Hello, Jim.

　　[05:42.70]M: Hi, Judy. The instructor

　　[05:44.65]really liked my sketches,

　　[05:46.43]but she hasn’t seen my painting yet.

　　[05:49.07]W: En , there seems to be

　　[05:51.15]something wrong with it though.

　　[05:53.28]M: Yeah, I know what you mean.

　　[05:55.53]It doesn’t look right to me either.

　　[05:58.28]W: I think I know.

　　[05:59.59]Look here at the sky,

　　[06:01.40]it just seems to fit in

　　[06:02.72]with other colors of the painting.

　　[06:04.56]M: What do you mean?

　　[06:05.63]Everyone know the sky is blue.

　　[06:08.32]W: Well, that’s depends.

　　[06:10.24]Sometimes it is

　　[06:11.88]and sometimes it isn’t,

　　[06:13.60]as sunset can be full

　　[06:15.32]of reds and purples.

　　[06:16.95]Well, even now, look at it now,

　　[06:20.01]Jim, what do you see?

　　[06:21.30]M: It looks blue to me.

　　[06:23.16]W: Look again.

　　[06:24.78]Do you see a kind of

　　[06:26.51]yellowish-brown color?

　　[06:28.09]M: Oh yeah,

　　[06:29.08]I see what you mean.

　　[06:30.38]W: By adding some tan

　　[06:31.96]to your sky,

　　[06:33.25]I think you’ll

　　[06:34.13]get more actual picture,

　　[06:36.49]and the color will

　　[06:37.44]look more natural.

　　[06:38.71]M: I think I’ll try that.

　　[06:40.91]How do you get to

　　[06:42.20]know so much about painting?

　　[06:43.99]Have you taken a lot of courses?

　　[06:46.95]W: No, actually.

　　[06:48.32]But my father is an artist.

　　[06:50.35]M: A professional artist?

　　[06:51.83]W: Oh yeah. When we were kids,

　　[06:53.77]he always talked to us

　　[06:55.12]about his work.

　　[06:56.33]M: I wish we could talk some more.

　　[06:58.82]How about going for a cup of coffee?

　　[07:00.99]I’m ready for a break.

　　[07:02.64]W: I’d love to,

　　[07:03.92]but I have to study

　　[07:04.80]for a history exam.

　　[07:06.09]In fact, I was just on my way

　　[07:07.98]to the study group,

　　[07:09.26]and I think I am already late.

　　[07:10.88]Maybe tomorrow?

　　[07:12.13]M: Great,

　　[07:12.90]I’ll meet you at the students’ center

　　[07:14.63]after my class.

　　[07:15.85]A little after three, OK?

　　[07:17.65]W: Sounds good.

　　[07:19.27]Get around now.

　　[07:20.82]M: Bye, Judy.

　　[07:21.97]Questions 19 to 21 are based on

　　[07:24.72]the conversation you have just heard.

　　[07:27.65]19. What are the speakers

　　[07:30.30]mainly discussing?

　　[07:46.75]20. What does the woman

　　[07:50.43]suggest the man do?

　　[08:07.35]21. What does the woman

　　[08:10.42]plan to do next?

　　[08:26.58]Conversation Two

　　[08:29.51]W: I understand you are taking

　　[08:30.81]the American literature

　　[08:32.49]seminar this semester, Jim.

　　[08:34.23]How do you like it?

　　[08:35.63]M: I find it very interesting.

　　[08:37.60]Our first reading assignment

　　[08:39.24]was the book Travels

　　[08:40.79]with Charley by John Steinbeck.

　　[08:43.30]W: I’ve heard that

　　[08:44.69]it includes descriptions of

　　[08:46.03]many different parts

　　[08:47.21]of the United States.

　　[08:48.65]M: Yes, that’s quite true.

　　[08:50.37]Steinbeck and his pet poodle,

　　[08:52.25]Charley, had lots of adventures.

　　[08:54.66]They got caught in a hurricane

　　[08:56.88]in New York. In Maine,

　　[08:58.65]they met migrant farm workers

　　[09:00.57]and in California they visited

　　[09:02.87]some of Steinbeck’s old friends.

　　[09:05.13]W: Well, that’s

　　[09:06.24]certainly a lively guide

　　[09:08.11]for travelers.

　　[09:09.70]Do you think the book is

　　[09:10.78]an artistic masterpiece as well?

　　[09:13.13]M: That’s a good question.

　　[09:14.94]I’ve been giving it

　　[09:15.85]some serious thought

　　[09:16.93]because I’m writing my seminar paper

　　[09:19.03]on that exact topic.

　　[09:21.34]I guess I think that

　　[09:22.85]Steinbeck is a talented writer,

　　[09:24.79]but not a great one.

　　[09:26.86]W: What would you say is

　　[09:28.18]his strongest point as a writer?

　　[09:30.63]M: Steinbeck’s description of

　　[09:32.56]the various states is

　　[09:33.88]the best part of the book,

　　[09:35.75]I think. Although

　　[09:37.51]I haven’t been there yet,

　　[09:39.07]I feel that I know

　　[09:39.99]not only the terrain of

　　[09:41.79]Texas and Idaho,

　　[09:43.63]but also the character

　　[09:45.14]of the people who live there.

　　[09:46.56]W: Yes, I’ve often learned

　　[09:48.82]that Steinbeck can communicate

　　[09:50.87]a sense of place very clearly.

　　[09:53.67]Does the book have any central theme

　　[09:56.28]to hold all these description together?

　　[09:58.02]M: That’s what

　　[09:58.81]I am trying to explain in my paper.

　　[10:01.48]I think Steinbeck’s theme

　　[10:03.11]is the urge to travel.

　　[10:04.90]He captures the curiosity,

　　[10:07.40]the desire for experiences

　　[10:09.28]and the need to expand one’s horizons

　　[10:11.92]that motivate all of us

　　[10:13.46]towards intellectual growth.

　　[10:16.08]Questions 22 to 25 are based on

　　[10:19.09]the conversation you have just heard.

　　[10:21.72]22. What was Jim’s first reading assignment

　　[10:26.71]for his American literature seminar?

　　[10:44.28]23. What does Jim think

　　[10:48.68]about Steinbeck as a writer?

　　[11:05.94]24. What does Jim admire most

　　[11:09.85]in Steinbeck’s book?

　　[11:27.24]25. According to Jim,

　　[11:30.02]What is Steinbeck’s central theme?

　　[11:47.57]Section B

　　[11:50.09]Directions:

　　[11:51.36]In this section,

　　[11:52.87]you will hear 3 short passages.

　　[11:56.38]At the end of each passage,

　　[11:58.33]you will hear some questions.

　　[12:01.02]Both the passage

　　[12:02.09]and the questions will be

　　[12:03.97]spoken only once.

　　[12:06.31]After you hear a question,

　　[12:08.27]you must choose the best answer

　　[12:10.92]from the four choices

　　[12:12.20]marked A), B), C) and D).

　　[12:16.38]Then mark the corresponding letter

　　[12:19.07]on Answer Sheet 2 with a single line

　　[12:22.83]through the center.

　　[12:24.41]Passage One

　　[12:25.97]Strikes are very common in Britain.

　　[12:28.48]They are extremely

　　[12:30.02]harmful to its industries.

　　[12:31.97]In fact, there are other countries

　　[12:34.09]in Western Europe that lose

　　[12:35.69]more working days through strikes every year

　　[12:38.38]than Britain.

　　[12:39.66]The trouble with the strikes in Britain

　　[12:41.86]is that they occur in essential industries.

　　[12:45.49]There are over 495 unions in Britain.

　　[12:49.43]Some unions are very small.

　　[12:51.55]Over 20 have more than 100 000 members.

　　[12:55.09]Unions do not exist

　　[12:57.55]only to demand higher wages.

　　[13:00.25]They also educate their members.

　　[13:02.60]They provide benefits for the sick

　　[13:04.93]and try to improve working conditions.

　　[13:08.25]Trade unioners say that

　　[13:10.67]we must thank the unions

　　[13:12.36]for the great improvement

　　[13:13.98]in working conditions

　　[13:15.32]in the last hundred years.

　　[13:17.36]It is now against the law

　　[13:19.54]for union members to go on strike

　　[13:21.18]without the support of their union.

　　[13:24.91]This kind of strike is

　　[13:25.99]called the unofficial strike

　　[13:28.31]and was common until recently.

　　[13:31.15]Employers feel that unofficial strikes

　　[13:34.05]were most harmful because

　　[13:35.62]they would not be predicted.

　　[13:37.85]However, these unofficial strikes still

　　[13:40.90]occur from time to time

　　[13:42.83]and some unions have

　　[13:44.83]also refused to

　　[13:46.39]cooperate with the law.

　　[13:48.37]As a result, the general picture

　　[13:50.69]of the relations between workers

　　[13:52.60]and employers in Britain

　　[13:54.25]has gone from bad to worse.

　　[13:57.31]Questions 26 to 28 are based on

　　[14:00.52]the passage you have just heard.

　　[14:02.90]26. In what way are strikes

　　[14:06.33]in Britain different from those

　　[14:08.58]in other European countries?

　　[14:25.24]27. Why are British employers

　　[14:28.89]so afraid of unofficial strikes?

　　[14:46.74]28. What conclusion can be drawn

　　[14:49.74]from this passage?

　　[15:05.80]Passage Two

　　[15:07.24]Deep Springs is an American college.

　　[15:10.58]It is an unusual college.

　　[15:13.07]It is high in the white mountains

　　[15:15.46]in California not in a college town.

　　[15:17.72]The campus is a collection

　　[15:19.92]of old buildings

　　[15:20.97]with no beautiful classrooms.

　　[15:23.12]The only college-like thing

　　[15:24.78]about Deep Springs is its library.

　　[15:27.18]Students can study from

　　[15:28.62]the 17 000 books 24 hours a day.

　　[15:32.80]The library is never crowded

　　[15:34.74]as there are only 24 well-qualified

　　[15:37.64]male students at the college.

　　[15:39.89]In addition, there are only

　　[15:41.61]five full-time professors.

　　[15:44.01]These teachers believe in the idea

　　[15:46.19]of this college.

　　[15:47.35]They need to believe in it.

　　[15:49.37]They do not get much money.

　　[15:50.90]In fact, their salaries are

　　[15:53.22]only about 9 000 dollars

　　[15:54.99]a year plus room

　　[15:56.40]and meals.

　　[15:57.70]The school gives the young teachers

　　[15:59.53]as well as the students something more

　　[16:01.64]important than money.

　　[16:03.31]"There is no place like Deep Springs,"

　　[16:06.09]says a second-year student

　　[16:07.79]from New York State,

　　[16:08.55]"Most colleges today

　　[16:09.88]are much the same

　　[16:11.05]but Deep Springs is not

　　[16:12.97]afraid to be different.

　　[16:14.55]" He says that students

　　[16:16.28]at his college are in a situation

　　[16:18.41]quite unlike the other schools.

　　[16:20.63]Students are there to learn

　　[16:22.56]and they cannot run away

　　[16:23.61]from problems.

　　[16:24.98]There is no place to escape to.

　　[16:26.45]At most colleges,

　　[16:28.19]students can close their books

　　[16:30.20]and go to a film.

　　[16:31.44]They can go out to restaurants

　　[16:33.07]or to parties.

　　[16:34.36]Deep Springs students have completely

　　[16:37.12]different alternatives.

　　[16:38.50]They can talk to each other

　　[16:40.05]or to their teachers.

　　[16:41.68]Another possible activity is

　　[16:43.32]to go to the library to study.

　　[16:45.33]They might decide to do some work.

　　[16:47.56]The student who doesn' t want to do

　　[16:49.49]any of these activities

　　[16:50.78]can go for a walk in the desert.

　　[16:52.99]Deep Springs is far from the

　　[16:54.70]world of restaurants and cinemas.

　　[16:56.77]There is not even

　　[16:57.93]a television set on campus.

　　[17:00.75]Questions 29 to 32 are based on

　　[17:04.58]the passage you have just heard.

　　[17:07.32]29. What is the total number

　　[17:11.63]of students at Deep Springs College?

　　[17:29.24]30. What is true of the campus

　　[17:33.17]of Deep Springs College?

　　[17:49.83]31. Which of the following

　　[17:53.09]is mentioned in the passage?

　　[18:10.32]32. What can students

　　[18:12.87]at Deep Springs do

　　[18:14.27]in their spare time?

　　[18:30.48]Passage Three

　　[18:32.16]You should not fear spiders

　　[18:34.47]because of their poison.

　　[18:36.05]Of all the spiders in North America,

　　[18:38.54]only one kind is really dangerous

　　[18:41.75]and most would not bite even if

　　[18:44.19]they were handled.

　　[18:46.01]They much prefer to run away

　　[18:48.08]or to drop to the ground

　　[18:49.77]on a thread of silk.

　　[18:51.80]Even so, when a spider runs directly

　　[18:54.55]toward a person,

　　[18:55.99]it gives the impression

　　[18:57.12]that it is about to attack.

　　[19:00.03]Actually, it cannot see the person

　　[19:02.39]in its way. The spider is

　　[19:04.49]too short-sighted to see things

　　[19:06.71]at a distance.

　　[19:08.02]It only wants to go

　　[19:09.16]where it will not be disturbed.

　　[19:11.65]In the United States

　　[19:13.26]one kind of spider is responsible

　　[19:15.62]for the frightening reputation

　　[19:17.54]of the rest.

　　[19:18.87]It is the Black Widow.

　　[19:21.79]So called because the female,

　　[19:23.66]which is larger than the male,

　　[19:25.58]often eats her husband

　　[19:27.66]after making love.

　　[19:29.36]The Black Widow is found

　　[19:30.92]in all states but is most common

　　[19:32.63]in the south and the west.

　　[19:34.85]She constructs a loose,

　　[19:36.36]irregular web under a pile of rowans

　　[19:38.87]or near the foundations of buildings

　　[19:41.64]where she is seldom disturbed.

　　[19:43.91]She is not an attacking spider

　　[19:46.45]and many people have proven this

　　[19:48.23]by letting her crawl over their hands.

　　[19:51.14]When she bites, it is usually

　　[19:52.64]in self-defence.

　　[19:55.37]In spite of the stories

　　[19:57.16]you may have heard, it is rare

　　[19:59.25]for a person to be bitten

　　[20:00.79]by a Black Widow

　　[20:02.09]and even more unusual for the bite

　　[20:04.63]to prove fatal.

　　[20:06.25]But remember that her poison

　　[20:08.62]is powerful and even though

　　[20:10.90]she is shy, she should be respected.

　　[20:14.19]Questions 33 to 35 are based on

　　[20:17.23]the passage you have just heard.

　　[20:19.61]33. What is this passage mainly about?

　　[20:38.92]34. What do we learn about

　　[20:41.79]spiders from the passage?

　　[20:58.69]35. Why is the spider

　　[21:01.66]you have just heard about

　　[21:03.21]called the Black Widow?

　　[21:19.65]Section C

　　[21:20.88]Directions: In this section,

　　[21:23.91]you will hear a passage

　　[21:25.62]three times.

　　[21:27.47]When the passage is read

　　[21:28.84]for the first time,

　　[21:30.14]you should listen carefully

　　[21:31.96]for its general idea.

　　[21:33.92]When the passage is read

　　[21:35.41]for the second time,

　　[21:36.71]you are required to fill

　　[21:38.29]in the blanks numbered

　　[21:40.42]from 36 to 43

　　[21:43.08]with the exact words

　　[21:45.11]you have just heard.

　　[21:46.99]For blanks numbered

　　[21:48.07]from 44 to 46

　　[21:50.57]you are required to fill

　　[21:52.09]in the missing information.

　　[21:54.20]For these blanks,

　　[21:55.90]you can either use the exact words

　　[21:58.35]you have just heard

　　[21:59.46]or write down the main points

　　[22:01.95]in your own words.

　　[22:03.77]Finally, when the passage

　　[22:05.71]is read for the third time,

　　[22:07.40]you should check

　　[22:08.58]what you have written.

　　[22:10.34]Now listen to the passage.

　　[22:13.48]In Britain, the idea

　　[22:15.06]of the Welfare State

　　[22:16.46]could be said to have begun with

　　[22:18.21]the Poor Relief Act in 1601.

　　[22:20.79]This acknowledged that society

　　[22:22.94]as a whole had a responsibility

　　[22:25.22]towards its weaker members, people

　　[22:27.56]who suffered as a result of

　　[22:29.15]circumstances that they could not control,

　　[22:32.49]such as illness

　　[22:33.79]or inability to work.

　　[22:35.57]Before that, religious orders

　　[22:37.74]were the only organizations

　　[22:39.30]to look after people

　　[22:40.55]who had no one to care for them.

　　[22:42.31]The poor Relief Act was

　　[22:44.05]revised in the nineteenth century.

　　[22:46.61]In the years before

　　[22:47.84]the 1914—1918 war

　　[22:51.75]the Liberal Prime Minister,

　　[22:53.33]Lloyed George, introduced a pension

　　[22:55.88]for people over seventy

　　[22:57.96]and some from of compensation

　　[22:59.65]for the people injured

　　[23:01.16]while working in industry.

　　[23:02.97]The basis of

　　[23:04.18]today’s Welfare States

　　[23:05.64]in Brian was laid in 1942

　　[23:09.23]by a former director

　　[23:10.57]of the London School of Economics,

　　[23:12.79]Sir William Beveridge.

　　[23:14.63]He proposed a radical scheme

　　[23:17.05]for the abolition of poverty

　　[23:18.78]through a system of social insurance.

　　[23:21.26]But his proposal didn’t stop there.

　　[23:24.07]He said that, in order to

　　[23:25.66]reconstruct British society

　　[23:27.62]on a more just

　　[23:28.70]and democratic basis,

　　[23:30.11]other evils had to be tackled.

　　[23:32.52]There were, he said,

　　[23:34.10]disease, ignorance, squalor and idleness.

　　[23:37.75]After considerable political struggle

　　[23:40.96]an Education Act was passed in 1944.

　　[23:44.40]It abolished school fees.

　　[23:46.93]It raised the school leaving age

　　[23:49.14]from fourteen to fifteen

　　[23:50.90]and provided for further education

　　[23:53.05]until the age of eighteen.

　　[23:55.10]In 1948 the establishment

　　[23:58.03]of the National Health Service

　　[23:59.78]gave every Briton the right to

　　[24:01.98]free medical, dental and eye treatment.

　　[24:04.56]Now the passage will be read again.

　　[24:08.65]In Brian the idea

　　[24:10.83]of the Welfare State

　　[24:12.40]could be said to have begun with

　　[24:14.18]the Poor Relief Act in 1601.

　　[24:16.68]This acknowledged that society

　　[24:18.88]as a whole had a responsibility

　　[24:21.06]towards its weaker members, people

　　[24:23.34]who suffered as a result of

　　[24:24.75]circumstances that

　　[24:26.59]they could not control,

　　[24:27.99]such as illness

　　[24:29.73]or inability to work.

　　[24:31.40]Before that, religious orders

　　[24:33.58]were the only organizations

　　[24:35.16]to look after people

　　[24:36.42]who had no one to care for them.

　　[24:38.11]The poor Relief Act was

　　[24:39.87]revised in the nineteenth century.

　　[24:42.48]In the years before

　　[24:44.16]the 1914-1918 war

　　[24:47.39]the Liberal Prime Minister,

　　[24:49.23]Lloyed George, introduced a pension

　　[24:51.87]for people over seventy

　　[24:53.63]and some from of compensation

　　[24:55.41]for the people injured

　　[24:56.87]while working in industry.

　　[24:59.07]The basis of

　　[25:00.10]today's Welfare States

　　[25:01.43]in Britain was laid in 1942

　　[25:05.03]by a former director

　　[25:06.31]of the London School of Economics,

　　[25:08.43]Sir William Beveridge.

　　[25:10.67]He proposed a radical scheme

　　[25:12.76]for the abolition of poverty

　　[25:14.64]through a system of social insurance.

　　[25:17.31]

　　[26:15.95]But his proposal didn't stop there.

　　[26:20.16]He said that, in order to

　　[26:21.78]reconstruct British society

　　[26:23.79]on a more just

　　[26:24.80]and democratic basis,

　　[26:26.45]other evils had to be tackled.

　　[26:28.53]

　　[27:29.03]There were, he said,

　　[27:30.59]disease, ignorance, squalor and idleness.

　　[27:34.35]After considerable political struggle

　　[27:37.53]an Education Act was passed in 1944.

　　[27:41.53]It abolished school fees.

　　[27:43.88]It raised the school leaving age

　　[27:45.61]from fourteen to fifteen

　　[27:47.44]and provided for further education

　　[27:49.44]until the age of eighteen.

　　[27:51.81]

　　[28:51.13]In 1948 the establishment

　　[28:54.80]of the National Health Service

　　[28:56.65]gave every Briton the right to

　　[28:58.48]free medical, dental and eye treatment.

　　[29:01.42]Now the passage will be

　　[29:03.43]read for the third time.

　　[29:05.83]In Britain the idea

　　[29:07.09]of the Welfare State

　　[29:08.60]could be said to have begun with

　　[29:10.47]the Poor Relief Act in 1601.

　　[29:13.05]This acknowledged that society

　　[29:15.05]as a whole had a responsibility

　　[29:17.55]towards its weaker members, people

　　[29:19.81]who suffered as a result of

　　[29:21.13]circumstances that

　　[29:22.86]they could not control,

　　[29:24.61]such as illness

　　[29:25.85]or inability to work.

　　[29:27.91]Before that, religious orders

　　[29:29.99]were the only organizations

　　[29:31.65]to look after people

　　[29:32.83]who had no one to care for them.

　　[29:34.62]The Poor Relief Act was

　　[29:36.30]revised in the nineteenth century.

　　[29:38.94]In the years before

　　[29:40.14]the 1914-1918 war

　　[29:43.82]the Liberal Prime Minister,

　　[29:45.61]Lloyed George, introduced a pension

　　[29:48.24]for people over seventy

　　[29:49.92]and some from of compensation

　　[29:51.89]for the people injured

　　[29:53.30]while working in industry.

　　[29:55.17]The basis of

　　[29:56.41]today’s Welfare States

　　[29:57.84]in Britain was laid in 1942

　　[30:01.41]by a former director

　　[30:02.80]of the London School of Economics,

　　[30:05.03]Sir William Beveridge.

　　[30:06.70]He proposed a radical scheme

　　[30:09.16]for the abolition of poverty

　　[30:11.08]through a system of social insurance.

　　[30:13.47]But his proposal didn’t stop there.

　　[30:16.17]He said that, in order to

　　[30:17.93]reconstruct British society

　　[30:19.89]on a more just

　　[30:20.91]and democratic basis,

　　[30:22.59]other evils had to be tackled.

　　[30:24.66]There were, he said,

　　[30:26.30]disease, ignorance, squalor and idleness.

　　[30:29.95]After considerable political struggle

　　[30:33.21]an Education Act was passed in 1944.

　　[30:36.71]It abolished school fees.

　　[30:39.42]It raised the school leaving age

　　[30:41.48]from fourteen to fifteen

　　[30:43.30]and provided for further education

　　[30:45.34]until the age of eighteen.

　　[30:47.46]In 1948 the establishment

　　[30:50.46]of the National Health Service

　　[30:51.99]gave every Briton the right to

　　[30:53.94]free medical, dental and eye treatment.

　　[30:56.98]This is the end of listening comprehension.