Even if the wetlands were restored and new levees were built, the combination of geologic subsidence and rising sea levels will likely sink New Orleans another meter by 2100. The problem might be solved by another ambitious plan, says Roel Boumans, a coastal scientist at the University of Vermont in Burlington who did his ph.D. at LSU: shoring up the lowest land with a slurry of sediment piped in from the river. The majority of the buildings in the flooded areas will have to be razed anyway, he says, "so why not take this opportunity to fix the root of the problem?" The river could deposit enough sediment to raise the bottom of the New Orleans bowl to sea level "in 50 to 60 years," he estimates. In the meantime, people could live in these areas Venice-style, with buildings built on stilts. Boumans even takes it a step further: "You would have to raise everything about 30 centimeters once every 30 years, so why not make the job easier by making houses that can float."

　　Whether that is technically or politically feasible—Day, for one, calls it "not likely" —remains to be seen, especially because until now, the poorest residents lived in the lowest parts of the city. Any decision on how best to protect the city in the future will be tied to how many people will live there, and where. "there may be a large contingent of residents and businesses who choose not to return," says Bill Good, an environmental scientist at LSU and manager of the Louisiana Geological Survey's Coastal Processes section. It is also not yet clear how decisions about the reconstruction will be made, says Good, "Since there is no precedent of comparable magnitude." Every level of government is sure to be involved, and "the process is likely to be ad hoc."

　　Even with the inevitable mingling of science and politics, we still have "a unique chance to back out of some bad decisions," says Good, who grew up in New Orleans. "I hope that we don't let this once-in-history opportunity slip through our fingers in the rush to rebuild the city:"

　　1. The passage gives a general description of the suggestions to reconstruct New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina.

　　2. Two examples to deal with water are Netherlands and Venice.

　　3. The canals have nothing to do with the flooding.

　　4. The levees will be shored up further with clear long-term fate.

　　5. The basic problem for New Orleans is the subsidence of Mississippi River delta.

　　6. The key component of Coast 2050 is wetland restoration.

　　7. The plan of Coast 2050 will get billions of federal funding.

　　8. New Orleans will likely sink ________________ by 2100.

　　9. Another ambitious plan is to shoring up the lowest land with a slurry of sediment ________________.

　　10. How decisions about the reconstruction will be made is also ________________.

　　Part III Listening Comprehension (35 minutes)

　　Section A

　　Directions: In this section, you will hear 8 short conversations and 2 long conversations. At the end of each conversation, one or more questions will be asked about what was said. Both the conversation and the questions will be spoken only once. After each question there will be a pause. During the pause, you must read the four choices marked [A], [B], [C] and [D], and decide which is the best answer. Then mark the corresponding letter on Answer sheet 2 with a single line through the centre.

　　11. [A] The man doesn't want to see Mr. Williams.

　　[B] Mr. Jones is in an inferior position to Mr. Williams.

　　[C] Mr. Jones used to be in charge.

　　[D] Mr. Williams doesn't want to see the man.

　　12. [A] They need to make more efforts. [C]The others have done the greater part of it.

　　[B] She felt a bit annoyed. [D] They've finished more than half of it.

　　13. [A] She felt very sorry. [C] She was in a hurry.

　　[B] She felt a bit annoyed. [D] She was surprised.

　　14. [A] The knife belongs to him. [C] The man once borrowed Bob's knife.

　　[B] Bob should mind his own business. [D] Bob's knife isn't as good as that of the man.

　　15. [A] He'll miss the meeting that afternoon. [C] He won't miss the meeting.

　　[B] He can't have an appointment with the host. [D] He is a hardworking man.

　　16. [A] Because she didn't fulfill her promise.

　　[B] Because her mother would be very angry.

　　[C] Because she can't finish the job ahead of schedule.

　　[D]Because she would be the last to finish the job.

　　17. [A] He always talks on the phone for that long if it's toll free.

　　[B] They had so much free time to talk on the phone for that long.

　　[C] They talked on the phone for too long.

　　[D] He wants to know what they talked about.

　　18. [A] At a restaurant. [C] In the office.

　　[B] At the cinema. [D] At a department store.

　　Questions 19 to 22 are based on the conversation you have just heard.

　　19. [A] He is a teacher of English in Cambridge. [C] He is a consultant to a Scottish company.

　　[B] He is a specialist in computer science. [D] He is a British tourist to China.

　　20. [A] 22℃ [C] 25℃

　　[B] 23℃ [D] 34℃

　　21. [A] With an English family. [C] With a language teacher.

　　[B] In a flat near the college. [D] In a student dormitory.

　　22. [A] Certain things cannot be learned from books.

　　[B] Foreign students had better live on campus.

　　[C] Choice of where to live varies from person to person.

　　[D] British families usually welcome foreign students.

　　Questions 23 to 25 are based on the conversation you have just heard.

　　23. [A] Ways to determine the age of a fossil. [C] A comparison of two shellfish fossils.

　　[B] The identity of a fossil the woman found. [D] Plans for a field trip to look for fossils.

　　24. [A] He has never seen a fossil that old. [C] It is probably a recent specimen.

　　[B] It could be many millions of years old. [D] He will ask the lab how old it is.