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。

　　Passage One

　　Ozone is a form of oxygen. It is found in the air we breathe and in the upper atmosphere. Near the Earth, ozone in the air is a danger to life because it is a pollutant. But between ten and fifty kilometers up in the atmosphere, ozone protects life on the Earth. Ozone forms in the atmosphere through the action of radiation from the sun. Ozone blocks harmful radiation from reaching the Earth. Scientists say a decrease in ozone and an increase in the harmful radiation will cause many more cases of skin cancer. And it will harm crops, animals and fish。

　　Ozone problems first became known in 1985. British scientists reported that ozone levels in the Antarctic atmosphere near the South Pole fell sharply each year in October and November. 1987 was the first year that a huge hole developed in the ozone layer above the Antarctic。

　　A recent study of the atmosphere over the Arctic area near the North Pole showed extreme thinning of the ozone. Officials from the American space agency said the latest study is a result of the largest campaign yet to measure ozone amounts and changes in the Arctic area. NASA researcher Paul Newman said some of the measurements show ozone in the Arctic decreased about sixty percent between January and the middle of March. These measurements are similar to the ozone losses observed in this area a few years ago。

　　Other studies have shown that man-made chemicals were destroying ozone in the atmosphere. An international agreement halted production of the most harmful chemicals. The new findings support the idea that recovery of the ozone layer may be delayed。

　　Questions 26 to 28 are based on the passage you have just heard。

　　26. What is the passage mainly about?

　　27. Where can ozone be found useful to life according to the passage?

　　28. When did ozone problems first become known?

　　Passage Two

　　Trade between countries is one of the most important economic activities in the world today. The U.S. has many trading partners; one of the most important is Japan. The trade between the two countries amounts to several billion dollars a year. Many U.S. banks therefore have offices in Japan, particularly in Tokyo and Osaka, the largest cities. Jean McPherson is the manager of one of those for branch banks in Tokyo。

　　Jean majored in accounting and business administration in college. After graduation she got a job with a large New York bank. After two years in accounting, she was transferred to the loan department. Many of the loans which she was asked to consider involved international transactions. Some of them were so complicated that Jean felt she didn’t have a broad enough background to understand them。

　　To get more experience, she asked for a transfer to the bank’s international department. She became such an expert in international finance that it became her career. When the bank decided to open a branch in Tokyo, Jean was selected to set it up and run it for the first few years. She has been in Tokyo for more than three years now。

　　Questions 29 to 31 are based on the passage you have just heard。

　　29. What does Jean McPherson do now?

　　30. Why did she ask for a transfer to the bank’s international department?

　　31. What is the passage mainly talking about?