M: Well, he wouldn’t have taken these measures if he hadn’t thought they were necessary. The President has been trying to speed up reform for the last two years and has been held up at every stage by certain groups in parliament.

　　W: But if he hadn’t closed parliament down, wouldn’t he have succeeded anyway? After all, there seems to be strong support for him in the country as a whole.

　　M: Maybe. But I think he’s just had enough. He couldn’t go on governing in this way.

　　W: But if he had held on for a little longer, surely he would have won in the end. Now he has to wait for two months, hope to be successful in the election, and then start off his reform program all over again.

　　M: Of course, but he feels this is his only proper course of action.

　　W: I’m afraid we’ve run out of time, Minister. Thank you again for joining us…

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

　　19. What are the speakers talking about?

　　20. What has the President done?

　　21. Why has the President taken that course of action?

　　22. According to the passage, what is the Minister’s attitude toward the president’s action?

　　Conversation Two

　　W: Well really, John! I don’t know what’s come over her recently. She never used to be as rude as this.

　　M: Oh, it’s just her age.

　　W: And that’s the reason why I won’t put up with her bad manners. After all, she’s not a little girl any more.

　　M: Well, let’s call her down from her room. (Shouting) Chris! Chris!Will you come down? We want to have a word with you. (Pause) Right, young lady. I want an explanation for why you have refused to eat that nice fresh cod.

　　D: If you really want to know, it’s because I’ve been put off both fish and meat by the school canteen. The food there is absolutely awful.

　　M: Oh, young people always say that about school dinners. I’m sure they are full of good things, nevertheless.

　　D: The fish and meat never taste fresh and they always cook the vegetables for too long.

　　M: Well, I expect some people in the world would really appreciate your school dinners. Have you thought of that?

　　W: Yes, lots of people in Africa and India don’t have a square meal from one week to another. They exist on a few bits of bread or some old potatoes if they are lucky.

　　D: Oh, don’t lecture me, please! I’ve heard all these hard luck stories before, you know.

　　M: That’s the reason why there’s no supper for you tonight. It might do you good to know a bit about hunger, my girl.

　　D: That’s okay. I bought some crisps on the way home…

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

　　23. Why can’t the mother put up with her daughter?

　　24. What happened to the girl?

　　25. What does the woman say about the people in Africa and India?

　　Section B

　　Directions: In this section, you will hear 3 short passages. At the end of each passage, you will hear some questions. Both the passage and the questions will be spoken only once. After you hear a question, you must choose the best answer from the four choices marked A), B), C) and D). Then mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 2 with a single line through the centre.